Guinean Maria Esperanza Fernandez has a lot of mouths, but she is tired of looking for an alternative to selling cashew nuts she dumped at home, because no one buys them, and hunger in the family has already become a reality.
A widow, a grower in Mansoa, in the Oyo region, in north-central Guinea-Bissau, says that from time to time she has no choice but to sell cashew nuts for 150 or 200 CFA francs (between 0.22 and 0.30 Euro). ) the price is well below the 350 CFA francs (€0.57) set by the government.
“Sometimes I sell a bag [de caju] receive three or four thousand CFA francs [4,5 ou sete euros] buy a bag of rice,” he says, expressing his anger, however, at having to sell the livelihood for 14 people in the family, including six children.
The answer to the possibility of exchanging cashews for rice is ready: “I cannot and will not do this. I am hungry, it is true, but I will not do this. From time to time I manage to sell 10 kilograms to collect 2000 CFA francs (3, 5 euros) to buy rice and then I struggle to buy other ingredients for cooking.”
In addition to the difficulties in feeding the family, Maria Esperanza says that “she can’t even buy soap to wash the children’s clothes” and already foresees a new problem: “I need to find money to pay for the children’s education, we are in the middle of the school year, I’m not condition.”
Leandro Pinto Junior, director of the Guinean NGO Cooperativa Agropecuária de Jovens Quadros (Coajoq), an NGO working in the Cacheu region of northern Guinea-Bissau, tells Lusa that “farmers are suffering” because they were unable to pre-sale this year cashew nuts, which consists in the sale of small quantities to cover the cost of preparing orchards.
In addition to the international situation and falling demand, the leader links the crisis to the June 4 legislative election campaign, which “harmed the commercialization” of cashews, which “could lead to famine in rural communities.”
Namir Agostinho Bonche, a grower in Ponta Gardeta, in the Biombo region, about 10 kilometers from Bissau, confirms: “In previous years, we have already sold all our chestnuts in this place.”
“Purchases have already started here, some people were selling for 150, 200 CFA francs per kilogram, but suddenly they stopped,” he says, meaning that “he is waiting for the government, because they are the ones who decide everything.”
“We urge the government to find solutions so that businessmen can buy our chestnut,” he says.
Until then, he is limited to collecting cashew nuts and placing them at home because “there is no buyer”, making it “difficult to find money to buy rice” to feed his family of more than 20 people.
“The market sells rice at a very high price,” laments Namir, who pays 21,500 CFA francs (33 euros) for a 50-kilogram bag, and if it is “good quality”, it can reach 24,000 (37 euros). ).
Despite the difficulties, this 29-year-old Guinean hopes for a better future and dreams of becoming a musician. He proudly says that he is already engaged in music and sings in a Protestant church choir.
Binta Cissé, a rural producer in Farim, in the Oyo region near the border with Senegal, also has “about 20” mouths to feed and complains that “one person cannot feed all these people.”
“During the cashew harvest, everyone is happy, even those who don’t have cashews. This year we are all crying,” says the Guinean, explaining the “very difficult” situation in the Oyo region: “Even we don’t have enough food. If you have lunch, you don’t have dinner.”
Binta says there are those who offer as little as 75 CFA francs (€0.11) per kilogram of cashews.
Moussa Cissé, also a grower in Farim, has the same complaints: “The situation is terrible”, “extremely difficult” and already has “hunger problems,” he says, explaining that he was picking cashew apples but no one was there. buy them.
This Guinean has already tried his luck “on the other side of the border”, but could not sell “because of the fears of sales agents, the National Guardsmen”, who “do not allow anything.”
More than 80 percent of the approximately two million Guineans depend directly or indirectly on the production of cashew nuts, the country’s main export product.
The leader of the Plataforma Aliança Inclusiva (PAI)-Terra Ranka coalition, Domingos Simões Pereira, who won with an absolute majority in the legislative elections, has identified among the priorities of the next government the solution to the problem of hunger felt in the country. due to the weak cashew campaign marketing campaign.
Until a political response arrives, Binta Cisse does not hide the rebellion and summarizes the suffering of the population: “the head of the family has 100 bags of chestnuts at home, and the children are hungry because there is no food.” “.
“It is very serious […] your children are crying, asking you for money for food.”