{
  "id": 18516429,
  "title": "Cashew crisis: Usibras imports Ivorian kernels to save Ghanaian jobs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/cashew-crisis-usibras-imports-ivorian-kernels-to-save-ghanaian-jobs-18516429",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-06T13:55:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/cashew-crisis-usibras-imports-ivorian-kernels-to-save-ghanaian-jobs/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ghanaian cashew processor Usibras has resorted to importing semi-processed cashew kernels from Côte d'Ivoire to keep its factory running. This move is a response to soaring domestic farm-gate prices and intense foreign buying, which have made it impossible for local raw cashew nut procurement to be competitive. Usibras has been importing borma kernels - cashew nuts that have been shelled and dried with their inner skin intact - for final peeling, processing, and packaging in Ghana. This emergency supply chain change highlights a significant operational mismatch between processing infrastructure and raw material availability. During the previous harvest season, Usibras only purchased 6,500 tonnes of raw cashew nuts, which is only 19 per cent of the company's annual processing capacity of 35,000 tonnes. This underutilization of capacity has put immense financial strain on the facility and could force the shutdown of one of West Africa's largest cashew processing investments. The crisis is primarily due to significant regulatory gaps in the trade of raw cashew nuts. Under the current regulations, raw cashew nuts can be exported from Ghana without any restrictions, with traders only paying a small fee of GH¢92 per tonne to the Tree Crops Development Authority. This enables foreign buying agents to purchase raw nuts directly from farming communities at lower prices, avoiding local operational costs. As a result, foreign buyers can outcompete domestic processors, who bear the heavy costs of local manufacturing. The leadership of Usibras has urged for policies that support local processing to prevent further job losses and the potential market exit of the company in 2027. The shortage of raw cashew nuts has directly affected local employment, with Usibras cutting its workforce by 50 per cent from 700 to 350 employees. If conditions in the domestic raw cashew market do not improve, more job cuts may be necessary. The absence of Usibras from the domestic raw cashew nut market in 2027 could result in an estimated loss of US$17 million.",
  "summary": "In a dramatic shift highlighting systemic pressures on domestic agro-processors, leading Ghanaian cashew processor Usibras has turned to importing semi-processed cashew kernels from neighboring Côte d’Ivoire to keep its factory operational.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}