A section of Cashew Nuts fruits in its early stage in the farms of Kilifi county. [ File, Standard]
The African Cashew Alliance (ACA) has intensified efforts to unlock the full economic potential of the cashew nut industry in Kenya and nine other countries on the continent.
The latest efforts include equipping actors with practical skills in production, processing, value addition and marketing in a bid to boost competitiveness, create jobs and increase the livelihoods of rural communities.
ACA seeks to strengthen expertise across the cashew value chain from policy, production and processing to marketing through a blend of theoretical and hands-on training targeting key players in the sector so as to revive production of the ‘white gold.’
ACA has partnered with the Market Oriented Value Chains for Jobs and Growth in the ECOWAS Region (MOVE) and the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat with funding from the European Union (EU) and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).
They conducted a weeklong second session of the 21st edition of the Master Training Programme (MTP) for cashew value chain promotion in Africa. The programme follows the first session held in Tanzania in June.
During the Mombasa training, 81 participants from Kenya, Burundi, Cameroon, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania underwent intensive training on Good Agricultural Management Practices (GAMP), sustainable cashew processing, gender-responsive approaches and leadership in the cashew sector.
Participants also received practical instruction on harvesting and post-harvest handling, nut quality measurement, cashew apple juice processing, by-products and the economics of processing.