ABIDJAN, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Cote d'Ivoire officially launched on Friday a cashew industry exhibition to be held on Nov. 12-14, with the government highlighting its ambition to accelerate value addition across the entire cashew sector.
Under the theme "Cashew processing: beyond the kernel," the 5th International Exhibition of Cashew Processing Equipment and Technologies (SIETTA) will focus on promoting the utilization of all parts of the fruit, including the shell and the cashew apple.
"The country no longer wants to limit itself to processing the kernel, but aims to valorize all components of the fruit," Mamadou Berte, director general of the Cotton, Cashew and Shea Council, said at the launch ceremony.
The government aims to boost local processing as part of efforts to build a more resilient and competitive cashew industry. The local processing rate has increased from 2 percent in 2011 to about 43 percent in 2025, according to official figures.
As the world's leading producer of raw cashew nuts, Cote d'Ivoire intends to increase the volume of locally processed cashew nuts to 1 million tons by 2030. ■