(Ecofin Agency) - In Cote d’Ivoire, minimum price to cashew producers is FCFA 440/kg (0.71$) for the ongoing season, which started on Feb 16. This was disclosed by the government at the end of council of ministers held last Wednesday.

The new rate is FCFA90 more than FCFA350 in place during the previous season. It will be applied to all “well dried nuts with no foreign material hampering its quality”.

By increasing producer price, the Ivorian government satisfies the farmers who asked for the increase to “help fight poverty in some of the areas where the crop is grown”.

Last year, cashew farmers had a total revenue of FCFA325 billion from their activities, reports Ivorian Press Agency (AIP). Cote d’Ivoire produced 650,000 tons of cashew that year, thus being world’s leading cashew producer.

Espoir Olodo