Raw Cashew Nuts

Global raw cashew nut production runs approximately 4.3–5.2 million tonnes annually (in-shell basis), with West Africa now supplying roughly 60% of the world's raw nuts. Côte d'Ivoire alone contributes around 1.0–1.15 million tonnes, making it the single largest producer, ahead of India (~750,000–850,000 tonnes) and Vietnam (~320,000–425,000 tonnes, mostly used to feed its own processing industry rather than exported raw). Tanzania, Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Indonesia, and Mozambique each add meaningful regional supply, together accounting for most of the remaining volume. Despite Africa's dominance in cultivation, the majority of cashew processing — shelling, peeling, grading, and packing into export-ready kernels — has historically happened in Vietnam and India, which import large volumes of raw nuts specifically to feed their factories. That is starting to shift: local processing share in Africa has risen from roughly 16% in 2024 to an estimated 19% in 2025, with projections toward 26% in 2026 as origin countries invest in domestic shelling capacity to capture more value themselves. Demand for cashew kernels continues to expand across the USA, EU, and China, with the overall global cashew market valued at roughly USD 10 billion in 2026 and forecast to approach USD 14.6 billion by 2031. Cashew offers exporters strong commercial fundamentals: steady snack and confectionery demand, a predictable (if climate-sensitive) harvest cycle, and clear margin opportunities in moving up the value chain from raw nuts to graded kernels. Buyers increasingly reward suppliers who can guarantee consistent outturn ratios, low moisture and defect counts, and reliable container-load availability, while origin countries such as Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, and Tanzania are pushing hard to keep more processing, and more value, at home.