Burkina Faso keeps cashew nut price stable for 2026 season

BURKINA FASO – Burkina Faso has set the minimum field price for cashew nuts at 385 CFA francs per kilogram (about US$0.69) for the 2026 season, keeping the rate unchanged from 2025.

The announcement came from Ismaël Sombié, Minister of Agriculture, during a ceremony in Ouagadougou on February 21 to launch the new cashew campaign.

 “Maintaining this price ensures local processing units can access raw material and continue operations without disruption,” said Sombié. He added that the measure aligns with ongoing efforts to revive the cashew processing sector that began in 2025.

Unlike Burkina Faso, neighboring Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana have lowered their minimum field prices for 2026 by 6% and 20% respectively, reacting to uncertainty in global demand. The Burkinabe government, however, has taken a more cautious approach to sustain local factories.

To prioritize domestic processing, the government has introduced an exclusive purchasing period for local processing units and the National Food Security Stock Management Company (SONAGESS). Between February 21 and April 1, exports will be suspended to ensure factories receive adequate supply.

The Burkinabe Council of Agropastoral and Fisheries Sectors emphasized that this period will give local industry priority before the market opens to exporters.

Côte d’Ivoire has adopted a similar approach in recent years. The country, Africa’s leading processor of cashew nuts, uses such measures to supply factories first before allowing exports.

Sector performance and prospects

Preliminary data from independent trade advisory service N’kalô shows that Burkina Faso’s cashew processing dropped by 33% to 10,000 tonnes in 2025. “We hope that giving local factories priority access will help revive production and strengthen the sector,” said a local industry representative.

FAO data indicates Burkina Faso produced an average of nearly 115,014 tonnes of cashew nuts per year from 2020 to 2024, peaking at 147,616 tonnes in 2024. While the country produces substantial volumes, processing ambitions for 2026 remain unclear.

Regional developments point to strong growth in West Africa’s processed cashew exports. Côte d’Ivoire expects earnings from cashew kernels to reach 350 billion CFA francs (about US$623 million) in 2025, driven by higher factory activity and increased volumes.

The country now operates 37 processing units with combined capacity of 830,000 tonnes per year, and authorities aim to process half of raw output locally by 2030.

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