Episode Transcript – Translated

[00:00:07.970] – Speaker 1
RTI and PAGDS present “Côte d’Ivoire En Marche” (Ivory Coast On the Move).

[00:00:14.150] – Speaker 2
Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening. Côte d’Ivoire is on the move in terms of economic transformation, and industrial transformation, as seen in the case of cashew. It must be said, the country has been the world’s leading producer of raw cashew nuts for 7 years. This position was consolidated in 2021 with a record production of 968,211 tons. The government’s vision today is to structurally transform the economy through the industrialization of key agricultural sectors including cashews. To achieve this goal, several initiatives have been undertaken to encourage local cashew processing. So, how does it work from the plantation to the factory?

[00:01:00.880] – Speaker 3
Welcome everyone, my Flashback children!

[00:02:10.030] – Speaker 1
Savannah Region. The agricultural landscape is very different today compared to 20 years ago. The most significant change has been the expansion of cashew orchards. In the 1950s, Nakadi was introduced in northern Côte d’Ivoire for reforestation purposes. But today, it has become a true economic crop. Reforms have been initiated, and the combined effects of government actions and support from the value chain competitiveness project have contributed to elevating Côte d’Ivoire in 2021 to the third position in the global ranking of cashew nut processing and exporting countries, with 136,854 tons. Many efforts have been made because.

[00:02:56.150] – Speaker 4
Have now vegetated three varieties which are available to producers through 23 trained, established, and equipped nurseries. And these 23 nurseries disseminate the plant material. And I would add that there is also consideration for farmer support. Previously, the farmer was not considered for support. Today, we have 274 agricultural advisors dedicated to training farmers.

[00:03:32.230] – Speaker 1
At the production level, the balance is clear.

[00:03:34.880] – Speaker 4
One of the challenges of the cashew sector is the quality of raw nuts.

[00:03:53.990] – Speaker 1
Also, to provide quality nuts for export and especially for the supply of industrial units, the Cotton and Cashew Council invests in research and agricultural counselling dedicated to cashew to improve the quality of raw cashew nuts. The peasant field and country council is a tool of the agricultural council, a space for disseminating good agricultural practices. Among these good practices is the rehabilitation of orchards. Thus, after Bondoukou last February, the Cotton and Cashew Council took a big step towards its goal of locally processing 50% of the national production of raw nuts, estimated at more than 800,000 tons for the 2021 campaign. In addition to its title as a leading producer of raw cashew nuts, Côte d’Ivoire aims to position itself as a significant player in the transformation sector. The Cotton and Cashew Council also plans to develop four agro-industrial zones dedicated to cashew processing in the cities of Korhogo, Bouaké, Séguéla, and Bondoukou, as part of the Cashew Value Chain Competitiveness Promotion Project (PPCA), supported by the World Bank.

[00:05:09.180] – Speaker 4
Thanks to World Bank financing, we are rehabilitating plots, bringing plots up to standard because the planting standard is 100 trees per hectare. However, in nature, when you travel, you sometimes see very dense densities in certain plots, even up to 1000 or 2000 trees per hectare. With such density, you cannot expect a harvest because the trees are thin, long, and slender, but there is very little production. So, in terms of production, we could say that World Bank financing allows us to accelerate the movement, both in terms of research and in terms of plot rehabilitation and improving the living conditions of producers.

[00:05:56.600] – Speaker 1
So, Korhogo, in the Poro region, the fourth most populous city, is located 635 km from the economic capital of Côte d’Ivoire. In this beautiful city, an agro-industrial zone with a total cost of around 7.5 billion CFA francs will soon emerge. The zone is developed on an area of ​​28.7 hectares, with an estimated processing capacity of 80,000 tons per year. In terms of jobs, the agro-industrial zone is expected to generate at least 5,000 direct jobs, 60% of which are for women. For the construction of this zone, the Cotton and Cash