Burkina Faso targets 20,000-tonne cashew apple processing by 2030

BURKINA FASO – Burkina Faso plans to scale up the processing of cashew apples to 20,000 tonnes annually by 2030, marking a strategic shift in how the country handles cashew by-products.

Until now, the focus has mostly remained on kernels, with the fruit part of the crop often left to waste.

Speaking to Siwaya on June 1, 2025, Ouémihié Clément Attiou, Director General of the Burkinabe Council for Agropastoral and Fisheries Sectors (CBF), confirmed that this push forms part of the second phase of the National Strategy for the Development of the Cashew Sector (SNDFA), which runs from 2025 to 2029.

The first sign of this effort began on May 22 with the start of construction on a processing unit in Péni, located in the Hauts-Bassins region. Costing US$11.5 million, the facility will handle 5,000 tonnes of cashew apples per year. Products from the site will include juice, vinegar, ethanol, and wine.

“This is a key move to make sure we stop wasting a resource that can bring in more income,” Attiou said. He added that the government has already ordered feasibility studies for similar plants in other producing areas, including the South-West and Centre-West regions.

Figures from a 2019 report by the Center for Study, Training and Development Consulting (CEFCOD) revealed that Burkina Faso produces more than 400,000 tonnes of cashew apples every year. Most of it goes to waste due to a lack of factories to process the fruit.

Raw exports blocked to supply local factories

The processing effort ties in with a major policy change made earlier this year. On March 28, Burkina Faso suspended the export of raw cashew nuts to ensure that local factories get the supply they need.

The move, announced by the Burkinabe Cashew Council on April 2, aims to support underused processing plants.

“With this decision, we want to guarantee that local processors get the raw materials they need to run their factories efficiently,” read a government statement.

While the country has an installed processing capacity of 30,000 tonnes, many factories fall short of operating at full scale. Data from N’kalô, an independent trade advisory service, shows that only 16,000 tonnes were processed in 2024, just 10 percent of the country’s total production of 161,000 tonnes.

Burkina Faso’s policy mirrors similar efforts across West Africa. Benin, one of the region’s top producers, also limits raw cashew exports to support domestic processing.

Officials there argue that the approach helps create jobs and adds more value to the crop before it leaves the country.

By pairing export restrictions with factory expansion, Burkina Faso hopes to build a stronger cashew sector that delivers more income locally and cuts post-harvest waste.

The full impact will depend on how well local businesses absorb the supply and how the global market responds to more finished products coming from West Africa.

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