Côte d'Ivoire Cashew Kernel Processing — 5,000MT San Pédro SEZ Facility

Requirement

Côte d'Ivoire produces roughly 900,000 metric tonnes of raw cashew annually — the largest crop in the world — and processes less than 15% of it domestically. The remainder leaves San Pédro and Abidjan as raw nut, is shelled in Vietnam or India, and returns to European and North American shelves at several times the price the Ivorian farmer received. The processing margin, and the jobs that come with it, are captured elsewhere. This partnership establishes a 5,000MT per year cashew kernel processing plant inside the San Pédro Special Economic Zone, adjacent to the port that already handles the bulk of the country's raw nut exports. The facility covers steam conditioning, shelling, peeling, grading and vacuum packing to export specification, with the throughput to absorb roughly 0.5% of national raw production — a deliberately conservative first phase sized to prove operations before expansion. The Ivorian government supports domestic processing directly: SEZ status carries a 10-year tax holiday, and raw nut export policy increasingly favours processors with local capacity. The partner sought brings processing technology and kernel market access; the local side contributes SEZ allocation, raw nut aggregation relationships and regulatory standing.