What better way to punctuate an aperitif than a nut -shaped nut. Between pistachios and peanuts, cashews made its hole. Grilled and salty, it satisfies the most jaded palates. And vegans are fans. Just chop the nut menu to obtain cashew milk and make a “fake” …
Very often, the dry fruit has long been burning before landing on the shelves of supermarkets. From Africa, Asia, before joining the United States or Europe. But do not say that he has traveled in a nut shell … Indeed, the cashewier has rooted in Côte d’Ivoire.
“At the start, the ancardier was planted to obtain a plant cover in the savannah areas and gradually, it has become a profitable culture. We are today the world’s leading producer of cashew fruits, with 1, 08 million tonnes, “explains Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, Ivorian Minister of Agriculture.
Culture of rent
“Overall, there has been a rise in power of West Africa, with a production volume which has gone from 1 to 2 million tonnes in ten years”, adds Pierre Ricau, analyst for the Consulting company N’Kalô Service. The cashewer joined the cocoa tree, the hevea and the oil palm, all these plantations having the status of a rent culture. However, farmers have not become rentiers. Far from it. These agricultural products, more than others, are subject to the vagaries of speculation of the markets.
The fever of the price of the cashew almond, with a peak reached in June 2017, at more than $ 10,000 (around 9,438 euros) per ton, heated the spirits. Everyone wanted to make butter with the nut rich in fat. The ace. The Covid crisis has shaken the coconut palm.
“In March 2020, at the beginning of the covid, the slowdown in imports from Western countries aroused a first collapse of the prices which increased from 7,000 to 5,000 dollars per ton. Then, in mid-2021, the courses went up At 6,300 dollars per tonne, with supply breaks linked to maritime freight problems, “says Ricau.
After this start, the markets left downwards. The ton of cashew fruit is currently negotiated at nearly $ 5,300. The cashewer gets darkened. As a result, the Ivorian State has set a minimum price for planters of 315 CFA francs (0.48 euros) in 2023. To be compared to the 500 CFA francs per kilo paid in 2018. “Consumption has stagnated, or even decreased in the United States And in Europe. With inflation, people prefer to eat chips or peanuts rather than cashew nuts, “explains Mr. Ricau. Knowing that if India remains the first crunchy country of this dry fruit, the United States and Europe now complete the podium.
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