•                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
                                               
                                               
                                               
                                               
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
                                               
                                               
                                               
                                               
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
                                               
                                               
                                               
                                               
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
                                               
                                               
                                               
                                               
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
  • Where do Shea nuts come from?
  • Production of shea nuts in some selected countries from 2001-2012 (Source: FAOSTAT, 2013). The shea tree is a multipurpose tree crop indigenous to Sub Saharan African. The tree is highly cherished for the oil that is extracted from its kernels and used nationally and internationally in cosmetics, pharmaceutics and in chocolate formulations.
  • Which country produces the most shea nut?
  • ... of the po- tentials of shea nut indicate that major producing countries are found in West Africa. Available data from FAOSTAT (2013), shows that Nigeria has the highest potential of shea nut pro- duction.
  • Should West Africa develop a value added sector for Shea?
  • Developing a native value added sector for shea in West Africa would decrease the majority of shea exports leaving as raw nuts to be refined and resold elsewhere. It is widely believed by industry experts that additional idle supply exists and remains unharvested.
  • Will Shea compete with palm oil?
  • Palm oil represents about 40% of the total world vegetable fat production and the shea market is small in comparison to either palm oil or cocoa butter; therefore, it is unlikely shea will compete with either as its production is simply too small to meet world demand in personal care or food use.
  • Does demand for raw shea nuts increase the value-added sector?
  • This demand has not helped the shea industry develop a value-added sector but rather has only increased the demand for raw shea nuts.
  • How is the Shea market calculated?
  • Estimating the market for shea is a bit complex because the shea market is divided into two-tiers: domestic or “traditional” consumption and export. The two market tiers command a different set of prices for both raw nuts and butter.