A new independent study has raised concerns over Ghana’s cashew industry, revealing that the country processed less than six percent of its annual cashew production in 2025, leaving most of the economic value from the crop to be captured abroad.
The report found that Ghana processed only about 15,000 metric tonnes of raw cashew nuts out of an estimated annual production of 262,000 metric tonnes. More than 94 percent of locally produced cashew nuts were exported or traded without local processing.
The findings have renewed calls for stronger government intervention to develop a competitive local processing industry capable of creating jobs, increasing tax revenue and providing more stable markets for farmers.
The report, Ghana Cashew Processing Sector and Roadmap for a Supportive Cashew Public Policy, was produced by agricultural consultancy Nitidae with support from the Association of Cashew Processors of Ghana (ACPG), GIZ and the European Union Delegation to Ghana.
The study also highlighted severe price volatility in the sector. Farm-gate prices reportedly rose from GH¢16 per kilogramme in January 2025 to GH¢20 in February before falling sharply to about GH¢7 by May, exposing farmers to significant income losses.
According to the report, Ghana exported about 444,000 metric tonnes of raw cashew nuts in 2025—far exceeding its own production. Researchers attributed the difference to informal imports from Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Burkina Faso, which are re-exported through Tema Port.
The ACPG warned that Ghana continues to lose jobs and industrial value by exporting raw cashew instead of processing it locally.
“Every tonne we export raw is a factory job, a tax cedi and a unit of foreign exchange we are choosing to send to Vietnam and India instead of keeping in Ghana,” ACPG President Antonio Manuel Caramelo Raposo said.
The study estimated that a modern processing plant with a capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes could employ more than 600 workers directly and that Ghana’s current production could support more than 10 such factories.
However, high investment costs, expensive electricity, costly financing and limited industrial support continue to discourage investment in local processing.
The ACPG is urging the government to prioritise the cashew sector under its 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development agenda by introducing incentives for processors, improving access to finance and establishing a Cashew Development Fund.
Rather than banning raw cashew exports, the study recommends a balanced policy package that supports domestic processing while protecting farmers’ incomes, arguing that such reforms would help Ghana retain more value from one of its fastest-growing agricultural exports.
