• The government kept the minimum farmgate price at CFA385 ($0.69) per kilogram for the 2026 campaign.
• Authorities suspended exports from February 21 to April 1 to prioritize local processors and SONAGESS.
• Cashew processing volumes fell 33% to 10,000 tons in 2025, according to N’kalô.

In Burkina Faso, the government decided to maintain the minimum farmgate price for raw cashew nuts at CFA385 ($0.69) per kilogram, the same level set in 2025. Ismaël Sombié, Minister of Agriculture, announced the decision during an official ceremony held in Ouagadougou on February 21 to launch the country’s fruit campaigns.

This price remains below levels applied in Ivory Coast at $0.79 per kilogram and in Ghana at $1.09 per kilogram. However, Burkina Faso’s decision contrasts with moves by these two neighboring countries, which reduced their farmgate prices by 6% and 20% respectively amid uncertainty over international demand in 2026.

Mr. Sombié stated that the government maintained the minimum farmgate price to guarantee raw material access for local processing units. He aligned this measure with policies launched in 2025 to revive the domestic processing segment.

A Less Radical Approach to Support Processing in 2026

Among other flagship measures for the 2026 campaign, authorities in Ouagadougou introduced an exclusive purchasing window reserved for national processing units and the National Food Security Stock Management Company (SONAGESS). The government scheduled this period from February 21 to April 1.

“During this strategic period, authorities suspend exports in order to ensure priority supply to the local market and support the national industry,” the Burkina Faso Council for Agropastoral and Fisheries Sectors (CBF) stated in a communiqué.

Ivory Coast, Africa’s leading producer and processor of cashew nuts, has adopted a similar measure to prioritize local industrial supply before opening exports to international traders.

In March 2025, authorities in Ouagadougou suspended exports of raw cashew nuts to secure supply for domestic factories. The government lifted the ban in May after officials confirmed that factories had received adequate supplies.

However, preliminary estimates from independent trade advisory service N’kalô, published in a February 3 bulletin on the African cashew market, indicate that cashew processing volumes in Burkina Faso fell by 33% to 10,000 tons in 2025.

It remains unclear whether the introduction of an exclusive purchasing period for industrial operators will inject new momentum into the sector. At the same time, authorities have not yet disclosed production and processing targets for the 2026 campaign.

Data compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that Burkina Faso produced an average of nearly 115,014 tons of cashew nuts annually between 2020 and 2024. Output reached a peak of 147,616 tons in 2024.

Stéphanas Assocle