INTRODUCTION:
The Cashew Tree (Anacardium Occidentale) is a native tree in the tropical climate zone of Brazil which was later transplanted by the Portuguese Colonists in Africa and India in the 15th Century. Strange enough, cashew in its natural form is very poisonous and whilst pistachios and peanuts can be sold in their shells, cashew cannot because of the poison.
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
i) Cashew nuts are good source of vitamin E and cancer-fighting phytochemicals.The toxic oil in the
shell is an antibiotic and the anarcardic acid kills the bacteria that may cause acne and other bacteria that can cause tooth decay and destruction of tooth enamel. ii) Cashew nuts are processed into cashew milk.
iii) The bark and leaves of the cashew tree are used for the treatment of diabetes.
iv) The mineral content is mostly zinc and magnesium with about 50% healthy unsaturated fats.
v) The fruits of cashew are for the preparation of juice and alcohol.
LOCATION & CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
Cashew tree grows well in the tropics with temperatures between 20°C – 34°C with rainfall throughout the year between 900mm – 1400mm with defined wet and dry seasons and 4 – 6months dry period for flowering. India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast,Vietnam, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria and Brazil are the leading producing Countries in the world.
The altitude for growing cashew shall not be above 1,000m above sea level.
The pH level of soils for planting cashew should range between 5.8 – 7.0 PH which is slightly acidic.
VARIETIES OF CASHEW
There are three (3) recognized varieties worldwide namely:
Brazil variety, Tanzania variety and Benin variety
THE BUSINESS OF CASHEW NUTS
The Cashew Trees plantation were introduced in the Country in 1960’s by the Government of Ghana through small crop growers with an average of 5.0 – 10.0 acres farms in the transitional zone of Ghana.
The trees gestation period were between 8 – 10 years and yields were far below 0.4 ton per acre with prices of Raw Cashew Nuts (RCN) fluctuating below economic recovery rates. Between 1970 – 1980 most of the cashew farms were destroyed by the farmers to replant with other cash crops like maize and cassava until the 1983 Economic Recovery Program (ERP) initiated by the then Government identified the cashew tree planting as a substitute for cocoa as an economic tree.
In 2002 under Kuffour Administration, funding were sought from International Agencies like African Development Bank (AFDB) and others to develop a new hybrid and to produce higher yields of cashew nuts for the export-econ- omy. Presently, Ghana exports about 80,000 tons of RCN (2017) at an export value of $190 million to India and Vietnam principally and this makes it next to the main and leading non-traditional exports of processed cocoa (butter and powder).
The growing / gestation period of hybrid cashew trees is three (3) years with economic fruit in 5years and produces an average of 0.4tons/per acre per year for 35years duration.
The farming practices and management of cashew plantation is simple and easy to handle and effects of insects and pest diseases are at best negligible if not non-existent.
The need for commercial farming in the production and exports of tropical nuts and fruits cannot be over-empha- sized.The Government of Ghana policy of planting for food and export with the growing interest in the management and processing of agricultural commodities in the agric value-chain industry means that an investment in cashew tree plantation and consequently processing for local consumption and exports would be the best investment in Ghana.
Currently the export of 1 ton of RCN is average by $1,500 per ton, (minimum price at $1,200/ton and maximum $2,600/ton) in global market. In the same market a processed cashew kernel is between $8,000 – $10,000/ton.
Join us to invest in cashew trees for your future to be known today.
CASHEW NUTS INVESTMENT
Revised rate for the new clients shall be:
Preliminaries cost: $6,500
1st year plantation $24,000
2nd year farm management services $12,000
3rd year farm management services $12,000
INVESTMENT
Yield starts in 3 YEARS
Economic Fruits start in 5 YEARS
Average yield per acre is 0.4 tons
Yields per 125 acres is 50 tons
An average price per ton (Raw Cashew Nuts – RCN) on global market ranges between $800 to $2,000, hence an average price $1,500 Averagely, 50 tons x $1500 = $75,000
Yearly operational expenditure (including General Administration) of 30% amounting to $22,500 hence annual profit of $52,500.00
BENEFITS OF CASHEW:
Cashew nuts serve as food, milk, salad dressing, cheese, sauce etc.
Medicinal purposes for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes
Shells for ammunitions and paints production