Ivory Coast could generate up to 350 billion CFA francs in cashew nut export revenues in 2025, confirming the key role of this sector in the country’s macroeconomic stability and rural incomes.
A 2025 Season of Rebound
After a 23% drop in the 2024 harvest, the Ivorian cashew sector is approaching 2025 with significantly more optimistic prospects. Production is projected at 1.15 million tons, a 20% increase compared to the 944,667 tons of the previous year, placing the country on a growth trajectory.
This rebound is driven by improved weather conditions, strengthened support for producers, and the securing of collection routes. This also comes amid a recovery in global demand, following several seasons marked by a sluggish market and depressed prices.
A boosted farmgate price to support producers
For 2025, the authorities have set the farmgate price of cashew nuts at 425 FCFA/kg, compared to 275 FCFA/kg in 2024, representing a 54.5% increase. This significant increase aims to better compensate farmers, limit smuggling to neighboring countries, and capture more volume through official channels.
Thanks to this more favorable price differential, the Cotton and Cashew Council (CCA) has already recorded 1.39 million tons of raw cashew nuts received at ports by the end of June 2025, exceeding the initial target of 1.15 million tons. This performance, combined with improved international prices, is fueling export revenue projections that could reach approximately 350 billion CFA francs for the year.
350 billion CFA francs: what this means for the economy
With such a significant sum, cashew nuts confirm their status as the country’s second-largest export product, after cocoa, and a key source of foreign exchange earnings. These 350 billion CFA francs expected in 2025 will contribute to improving the trade balance, strengthening foreign exchange reserves, and supporting the stability of the CFA franc in a context of market opportunities.
For rural areas, this translates into a massive injection of liquidity into the production zones of the North and Central regions, where cashew cultivation now forms the basis of a large portion of agricultural income. By increasing producer prices while securing borders against smuggling, the government aims to transform this successful season into a genuine tool for combating poverty.
Towards More Local Processing
While exports of raw cashew nuts remain dominant, Abidjan is clearly demonstrating its ambition to move upmarket by processing a growing share of the harvest locally. The government strategy aims for 50% local processing by 2030, compared to approximately 30% today, through the expansion of factories and agro-industrial zones dedicated to cashew.
Partnerships with local and international investors, such as the Afcott Cashew factory near Yamoussoukro, should increase processing capacity from 18,000 tons in 2024 to 40,000 tons in 2026, and then to 50,000 tons in 2027 for this single site. This ramp-up in processing aims to capture more added value, create industrial jobs, and reduce dependence on raw cashew nut exports alone.
Challenges to Overcome to Sustain Performance
Despite these promising prospects, several challenges remain to ensure the long-term consolidation of the sector. The preference for international prices, competition from Vietnam and India in the processed products market, and climate risks necessitate continued efforts in organization, traceability, and market diversification.
The sector’s success also depends on better support for producers (access to inputs, orchard renewal, training) and appropriate financing for processing units to avoid underutilization of capacity. If these conditions are met, the target of 350 billion CFA francs in export revenue by 2025 could become a new milestone in the growth of Côte d’Ivoire’s “grey gold.”
