African Cashew Alliance 2026, reveals that pests and diseases remain major limitations to sustainable cashew production in Africa, and managing them effectively requires the ability to identify risks early and prepare for them before outbreaks occur.

That was the key message from Forum 7 on Current Trends in Cashew Integrated Pest and Disease Management and the Way Forward at the 2026 African Cashew Alliance (ACA) Conference held in Accra.

At the 2026 ACA Conference, stakeholders discussed how the sector can move from reacting to outbreaks to anticipating and responding to risks earlier, in order to protect yields, farmer incomes and Africa’s competitiveness in the global cashew market.

The forum, titled Mitigating Pest and Disease in Cashew Cultivation for Sustainable Production, was moderated by Dr. Godfred Awudzi of the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) and featured leading researchers including Issaka Mohamed Salifou of GIZ MOVE-ComCashew, Dr. Bukari Yahaya of CRIG.

Also, Dr. Dele O. Adeniyi of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Dr. Prisca Ehoundou of Université Alassane Ouattara Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire, and Dr. Solomon Agyare of CRIG. Africancashewalliance.

The discussions emphasized the need to strengthen pest and disease forecasting systems to support earlier identification and response, especially as climate change alters pest dynamics across Africa’s cashew belt.

The discussion also underscored the importance of research, extension and technology in strengthening how pest and disease risks are identified, understood and managed across national cashew programmes.

According to the African Cashew Alliance, pests and diseases are among the top productivity constraints for African cashew farmers, who produce about 58 percent of the world’s raw cashew nuts but process only about 20 percent locally.

Yield losses due to pests and diseases are estimated to reduce farmer yields from a potential 1,500 kg per hectare to less than 500 kg in many regions. Research presented at previous ACA conferences shows sixteen disease expressions have been recorded on cashew in West Africa.

These includes anthracnose, leaf spot, chlorosis, dieback, rust, blight, bacteriosis, gummosis and suspected powdery mildew. Disease distribution varies from farm to farm and from district to district.

Powdery mildew, caused by the fungus Oidium anacardii, remains the leading cashew disease in Eastern and South-Eastern Africa, while in West Africa it is increasingly reported as an emerging threat.

In Ghana, the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) has cited concerns over suspected powdery mildew disease affecting cashew, stressing that such threats require coordinated regional responses because pests and diseases do not respect national borders.

The disease attacks all tender parts of immature cashew trees, including young shoots, flushes, inflorescence, young tender nuts and fruits. Infested parts turn whitish and later brownish before dropping off.

Infested apples crack while young nuts develop grey lesions and wrinkle, which significantly reduces quality and kernel output ratio.

Other major diseases discussed at the forum include anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, which attacks young plant tissues and causes severe crop loss when it infects flowers, and cashew leaf and nut blight, dieback and fusarium wilt, which can cause 100 percent harvest losses if not managed.

On the pest side, the forum highlighted the economic impact of insect pests such as Helopeltis schoutedeni (cashew mosquito bug), Anoplocnemis curvipes (aeroplane bug), Apate terebrans (cashew stem borer), Analeptes trifasciata (cashew stem girdler), aphids and mealybugs. Studies in Tanzania show cashew aphids affect 46.5 percent of farms and cashew mosquito bugs affect 42.9 percent.

Poor Pest Management

Panelists noted that Africa’s approach to pest management has historically been reactive. Farmers spray only after they see damage. This leads to overuse of pesticides, high production costs, poor nut quality and environmental risks.

The forum calls for a shift toward Integrated Pest Management (IPM) that combines forecasting, early warning, biological control, cultural practices and judicious chemical use.

National cashew programmes must therefore strengthen early warning and forecasting systems for major pests and diseases. For a more productive and sustainable cashew sector, being better prepared could make all the difference.

Dr. Yahaya and Dr. Adeniyi emphasized the role of research institutions like CRIG in Ghana and CRIN in Nigeria in developing disease-resistant planting materials, biocontrol agents using natural enemies such as red weaver ants (Oecophylla longinoda) and green lacewing, and climate based prediction models that alert farmers to high-risk periods for powdery mildew and anthracnose.

Issaka Mohamed Salifou, representing GIZ MOVE-Com Cashew, says technology and extension are critical to making forecasting work at farm level. MOVE-ComCashew, co-funded by the EU International Partnerships with the OACPS Secretariat and by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

And implemented by GIZ, is supporting national programmes to deploy digital tools, farmer field schools and community based surveillance.

”Without strong extension systems, even the best forecasts will not reach the farmer. The project is working with TCDA, CRIG and farmer associations in Ghana to train lead farmers to scout, report, and respond to pest incursions early.”
Issaka Mohammed Salifou, GIZ MOVE-Com Cashew

Ghana Commits US$200 Million to Tree-Crop Production

The ACA Conference also links pest management to Ghana’s broader investment agenda. Ghana is committing about US$200 million to tree-crop production, with cashew expected to benefit significantly, as announced by Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare at the closing ceremony.

Minister of Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku adds that processing should not be seen only as an industrial activity but as a rural transformation opportunity that depends on consistent, high quality raw material supply which can only be achieved if pest and disease losses are minimized.

Stakeholders agree on three concrete actions: first, establish regional pest and disease surveillance networks across Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Benin, Tanzania and Mozambique to share data; second, invest in research on resistant varieties and bio-pesticides; third, integrate pest forecasting into national agricultural advisory services and mobile platforms accessible to smallholder farmers.

As the global cashew market grows and African countries seek to move from raw nut exports to value addition, effective pest and disease management is seen not as a technical footnote, but as a foundation for competitiveness, sustainability and rural jobs.