Shea drying systems in Burkina Faso
What the crop demands, what the country imposes, and what that means for capacity.
Burkina is among the largest shea kernel exporters in the world, and the collection is done almost entirely by women’s groups working parkland rather than plantations. The nuts arrive wet, at the height of the rains, and the traditional response is to spread them on the ground — which is exactly when and where free fatty acid starts climbing.
The situation in Burkina Faso
Landlocked, so every tonne of finished product travels by road to Abidjan, Lomé or Tema before it reaches a ship. That single fact shapes the whole processing case: fresh fruit cannot make the journey, dried fruit can, and the margin sits with whoever removes the water before the truck leaves. Grid supply outside the two main cities is intermittent enough that a drying plan built around electric heat is a drying plan built around a generator.
Growing regions. Cascades, Hauts-Bassins and Comoé — Orodara, Banfora and Bobo-Dioulasso
What shea kernel drying demands
Shea is collected, not farmed, which makes moisture the whole quality problem: nuts come in wet from the bush at the height of the rains and are traditionally dried on the ground. Free fatty acid rises with every day the kernel sits damp, and FFA is precisely what the butter buyer pays on. Controlled drying to 6–8 % is the difference between industrial grade and cosmetic grade.
Harvest calendar
June to September, peaking in July and August. This is the wettest part of the year, which is the whole difficulty: the crop is collected precisely when open-air drying works least well and the ground is least suitable.
The working campaign window as the trade runs it. It shifts a fortnight either way with the rains.
Process parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Drying temperature | 50–60 °C |
| Final moisture | 6–8 % |
| Yield (fresh : dried) | 3 : 1 |
| Cycle time | 12–20 h |
Sizing starting points from ordinary processing practice, not a validated recipe for your product. Confirm against your own intake and your buyer’s specification.
Worked sizing example
For a unit taking 6 tonnes of fresh product a day, at a yield of 3 : 1:
Illustrative figures calculated from the yield and campaign window above. They size a conversation; they do not describe any existing installation.
Fuel available in Burkina Faso
Burkina combines cashew shell (Cascades, Hauts-Bassins), abundant cotton stalk after the cotton campaign, and shea cake. Mango peel supplements during the mango campaign itself.
- Base load. Cashew shell · Cotton stalk · Shea cake and shell
- Supplement. Corn cob · Groundnut shell · Sesame stalk · Dried mango peel
See all 27 fuels and their properties
Market and buyer requirements
International butter and cosmetics buyers, who grade on free fatty acid and on moisture. FFA below about 3 % separates cosmetic grade from industrial; getting kernels to 6–8 % moisture quickly is the main lever a collector has over it.
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The systems that hold this profile
Other crops in Burkina Faso
Mango · Raw cashew nut · Tomato · Onion · Sesame
Shea drying elsewhere
Frequently asked questions
Why does shea drying matter so much for price?
Because free fatty acid rises for every day the kernel stays damp, and FFA is what the butter buyer pays on. Getting to 6–8 % moisture within days rather than weeks is what keeps a lot in cosmetic grade below about 3 % FFA rather than dropping it to industrial.
Can shea be dried during the rains in Burkina?
Not reliably in the open, which is the problem the harvest window creates: collection peaks in July and August, the two wettest months. An enclosed chamber at 50–60 °C removes the weather from the question entirely, on a 12 to 20 hour cycle.
What throughput does a women’s cooperative need?
A 6 t/day fresh intake suits a district-level aggregator and yields around 2 tonnes of dried kernel a day at roughly 3 : 1. Across a four-month collection season that is 200 to 240 tonnes, enough to negotiate directly with an exporter rather than through intermediaries.
Size a unit in Burkina Faso
Tell us your daily fresh volume and target output, and we will size the chambers, the burner and the fuel available around your site.
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