Ghana
Sector
Agriculture & Agri-processing
West Africa's cashew industry is a major supplier of raw cashews in various regional and international markets. The industry accounts for almost a third of the world’s cashew output. A report by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) notes that demand for African cashews in the global market is rising.
Ghana cashew nuts exports are relatively small when compared with the world's excess demand of 430 000 metric tonnes. Less than 50% of the exports are derived from domestic sources, with cross border trading accounting for a large chunk. Processing locally would increase cashew revenue by 50%.
Investment opportunities
The following opportunities will enable the industry to reach its potential.
Processing: Establishment of a new cashew processing plant to serve local and international market is needed. The products obtained from
cashew nuts include cashew kernels of different flavours, cashew butter and cashew nut shell liquid for industrial use. Local demand for cashew kernels is currently estimated at over 40 metric tonnes per annum but only about 33 metric tonnes is processed locally.
Establishment of plantations: About 3.24 million hectares of suitable land is available to investors interested in growing cashew nuts for local and international markets. An estimated 60 000 hectares of land is currently under cultivation with annual production of about 22 000 metric tonnes of raw cashew nuts.
For further information on investing in the cashew nut industry contact the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC).
Key contact:
Edward Ashong-Lartey
Director, Promotions & Public Relations
Email: eashonglartey@gipcghana.com
Tel: +233 302 665125 - 9
