P©ni: The President of Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traor©, laid the foundation stone for the construction of a cashew apple processing plant on Thursday in the commune of P©ni, in the province of Houet, Hauts-Bassins region. The project, costing 6.6 billion FCFA, aims to promote local processing to create new economic opportunities and decent jobs.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the plant is expected to transform 5,000 tonnes of cashew apples annually. This transformation will produce 3,750 tonnes of juice concentrate, 3,937,500 litres of cashew apple juice, 540,000 litres of cashew apple ethanol, 2,700,000 litres of cashew apple wine, and 1,350,000 litres of cashew apple vinegar.

The plant's construction, with a total cost of 6.6 billion CFA francs, will generate 112 direct jobs and 1,050 indirect jobs. The initiative aims to create a sustainable, inclusive, and profitable local value chain and contribute to the country's agro-industrial self-sufficiency.