THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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With a well-organised cashew sector, Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s largest exporter of raw cashew nuts. The country also has the potential to process the raw nuts into cashew kernels by origin. Importers from the European Union (EU) are interested in locally processed, traceable, high-quality cashew kernels.
Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI) and Côte d’Ivoire’s government recognised this opportunity. Together, they helped companies process cashew kernels and meet Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) standards.
The success story of Côte d’Ivoire’s cashew kernels starts in 2019 with CBI’s Edible Nuts Benin and Côte d’Ivoire project. This project aimed to help companies process and export market-ready cashew kernels to Europe. In Côte d’Ivoire, the government and the cashew sector were very motivated to enter the European market with locally processed cashew kernels. Together with Conseils du Coton et de l’Anacarde (CCA), the cashew processors and CBI’s consultant developed a strategy by successfully connecting suppliers and the government to the international market. The project was successful because it brought the right people together at the right time.
Increasing cashew kernel export
In 2022 and 2023, a series of 5 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) workshops at cashew processing companies. A self-developed CSR tool specific to the cashew sector. Topics included working conditions, safety, payment, gender equality and environmental aspects. This helped the cashew processing companies make big technical and social improvements. As a result, the export of cashew kernels increased from less than 3,000 tonnes in August 2022 to more than 5,000 tonnes in August 2023. Côte d’Ivoire has now surpassed India to become the world’s second-largest exporter of cashew kernels.
