Social Issue

In the Ivory Coast, an estimated 250,000 small farmers are engaged in growing cashews. The average income per family for these crops is $600 a year. Most of the raw cashews from Ivory Coast are exported to India and Vietnam, where they are processed and then exported to the rest of the world. Only 6% of cashews grown in Ivory Coast are processed within the country.

Various initiatives by the government and the private sector are underway in order to encourage the development of domestic processors and thus create more employment opportunities, and for the added value of the final product to remain in the country.

Our Response

CAJU Industries SA (CAJU) is a company founded in 2011 by an entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience working in management and finance positions in large companies. The company returned to its town, Kolia, in the north-west of the Ivory Coast, to conduct a business dedicated to cashew nut processing. This started with Technoserve, a non-profit company that promotes business to reduce poverty. They developed a strategic business plan and built a processing plant for cashew nuts.

CAJU buys raw cashews from farmers in the Kolia area at a fair price. In the region, 90% of the population is involved in the cultivation of this dried fruit. With the establishment of the CAJU plant, more people have been able to get a job in a very isolated area of the country.

Expected Social Impact

The $200,000 Netri Foundation loan is estimated to provide employment to 38 people who will earn $816 on average. On the other hand, they will buy cashews from about 253 farmers, generating an average income of $600 per head.