Global demand for cashew nuts, eaten as snacks or used for cooking and desserts, has tumbled since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, driven by multiple factors, including consumer inflation and increased production.
"No one wants to buy cashew, even if I ask for 150 CFA francs per kilogram ($0.24) instead of the farmgate price of 315 CFA francs.
Dembele lost 20 million CFA francs ($33,000) during the 2022 season after buying nuts he could not resell to wholesale processors.
Output rose from 400,000 tonnes in 2011 to 1 million tonnes in 2022, and is expected at the same level in 2023.
In Bouake, the heart of the country's cashew processing industry, work has come to a near standstill as employers struggle to pay salaries.
Persons:
Ange Aboa, Dembele, Ibrahim Coulibaly, Ivory Coast, Ganesh, Rajaraman, It's, Alessandra Prentice, Bate Felix, Ed Osmond
Organizations:
REUTERS, Ivory, Farmers, Global, CFA, Factories, Thomson
Locations:
Katiola, Ivory Coast, Korhogo, Bouake, Dakar