Guinea-Bissau: An African Cashew Gold Mine
ACA Managing Director, Roger Brou (center), with ACA’s Bissau representative (left), and President of Processors in Bissau, Florentino Nanque (right)
As the world’s fifth largest cashew exporter behind India, Vietnam, Cote d’Ivoire, and Brazil, Guinea-Bissau depends heavily upon cashew nuts as a major income source for rural communities and for export. The cashew industry employs approximately 80% of the workforce; thus, the performance of the cashew sector is a key indicator for determining the overall macroeconomic situation of the country and the food security status of rural areas. In 2013, cashew production and exports were disrupted as a result of the political coup which occurred in March 2012.
In August 2014, the ACA Managing Director, Roger Brou, and Communications Officer, Sheila Oliveira, visited Guinea-Bissau for the purpose of re-establishing working relations between the newly-elected government of Bissau and the African Cashew Alliance. During their trip, Mr. Brou and Ms. Oliveira had the opportunity to meet with the Minister of Agriculture, who showed great enthusiasm for developing and strengthening the cashew sector. Other members of the government were very receptive to ACA’s visit and are eager to collaborate on projects to boost the country’s cashew industry.
In recent years, many farmers converted their fields into cashew orchards due to the promising benefits of cultivating cashews as a cash crop. However, climate change, environmental degradation, and an increase in the use of credit during the pre-harvest period all contribute to a “downward spiral of food insecurity and indebtedness,” says Marina Temudo, an agronomist at the Portugal-based Tropical Research Institute (IICT). To combat these issues, ACA recently signed an MoU with the Agencia National de Caju (ANCA), the national association dedicated to advocating for cashew farmers and processors in Guinea-Bissau. Through the collaboration of stakeholders at multiple levels, Guinea-Bissau has exported about 100,000 metric tons of raw cashew nut and produced an estimated total of 200,000 metric tons, figures which are within the expected range.
