Ghana’s cashew apples get a second life

Published 9 August 2026 · india

A fruit long left to rot could become a new source of income for Ghana’s cashew farmers. Sunyani, Ghana – At harvest time in Ghana’s

A fruit long left to rot could become a new source of income for Ghana’s cashew farmers. Sunyani, Ghana – At harvest time in Ghana’s cashew-growing communities, the ground beneath the trees tells a familiar story. While farmers carefully collect the nuts that will be sold to buyers, the fleshy cashew apples attached to them are often left behind. Within hours, the fruit begins to spoil, turning a potentially valuable part of the harvest into waste. Ghana is one of Africa’s leading cashew producers, harvesting roughly a quarter of a million tonnes of raw cashew nuts each year. The trees also produce far more cashew apples than nuts and industry officials say most of the fruit is never processed or sold. For decades, the cashew apple has remained largely outside the market economy. Farmers have had few buyers for the fruit, and without nearby processing facilities, transporting it before it spoils is difficult. Now, researchers, farmers and industry leaders believe the discarded fruit could become a new source of income for rural communities – if Ghana can build the systems needed to collect, process and market it. From waste to value For Francisca Aba Ansah, the opportunity became clear after field visits revealed the scale of cashew apple waste. She is a food post-harvest scientist at the CSIR-Food Research Institute and project lead for MA-CASH, a research initiative focused on expanding value from cashew production. “MA-CASH basically means Maximising Gains from Cashew Production for Youth Development,” Ansah told Al Jazeera. “The project started by looking at the level of waste in growing areas and the processing options available.” Working with farming communities, researchers developed products including juice, juice blends, sausages, bagels and other foods made from cashew apples. One of the biggest challenges was the fruit’s high tannin content, which affects taste and consumer acceptance. “Cashew apples have high tannin content, so we did a lot of research to reduce the tannin and minimise the anti-nutrient effects when people consume the products,” she said.

An even bigger barrier was the fruit’s short shelf life. Fresh cashew apples can spoil within 24 hours of harvest, making transport from farms to processing centres problematic. “When you harvest cashew apples, within 24 hours it goes bad,” she said. “We developed the technology that allows farmers to keep it for up to six days before it is shipped to the processing centre. When it gets there, it can be refrigerated for the whole year for production.” The preservation technology has been tested through pilot work under the project and could make commercial collection and processing possible for the first time in many farming communities. The project is also exploring off-season income opportunities, including beekeeping under cashew plantations. “During the off-season, when you will not be working there, you can actually do beekeeping,” she said. “The honey that comes from cashew has good quality, so farmers can still have their business running.” Beyond the nut For some farmers, the idea of creating value from cashew apples is already moving from possibility to practice. Samuel Nortey Adumoah has experimented with turning the fruit into pito, a traditional local drink, as well as wine and other beverages. Like many farmers, he once viewed the cashew apple as little more than a by-product. Now he believes it could become an important source of income. “Cashew beverages have strong market potential,” Adumoah told Al Jazeera. “I call on investors to come into this space to assist us because it is very lucrative.” His experience reflects both the promise and the challenge of building a new industry. Farmers can create products, but scaling those ideas requires investment, infrastructure and reliable links to markets. The missing supply chain Raphael Godlove Ahenu, Coordinator of Cashew Watch Ghana, says many farmers still need support to understand the economic possibilities beyond the nut. The organisation has been working with farmers, particularly in the Bono Region, to promote value addition and encourage communities to explore processing opportunities.