Тop 10 Cashew-Producing Countries in 2025

by admin July 16, 2025 3160 32 min read

Ranking • Cashew production • 2025 snapshot

Global overview (in-shell raw cashew nuts)

Cashews are a high-value tree-nut crop that links smallholder orchards to global snack, confectionery, and ingredient supply chains. In 2025, the industry continues to show a familiar “two-stage” structure: production scales fastest where orchards and farm participation expand, while large kernel-processing ecosystems remain concentrated in established manufacturing hubs.

Indicative global output (2025)

≈ 5,000,000 t

In-shell raw cashew nuts (RCN), used as a scale reference

Top producer (2025)

Côte d’Ivoire

≈ 1,050,000 t (estimate)

Processing hubs

India & Viet Nam

Large kernel-processing capacity; imports of RCN are common

Key trends shaping 2025

Supply shift: West Africa remains a major growth center for raw nut supply.
Processing investment: New plants in Africa increase local value addition, while Asia still dominates large-scale throughput.
Demand pull: The United States, the EU, and China remain core destinations for kernels and cashew-based products.
Standards & sustainability: Traceability, certification, and food safety increasingly separate premium from commodity channels.

Top 10 cashew-producing countries (2025)

Production values are estimates for 2025 and reported on an in-shell (raw nut) basis, in metric tons.

Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Estimated 2025 production: 1,050,000 t

Position: largest producer • Theme: local processing push

Value-chain note

Production leadership is increasingly paired with a policy focus on processing and quality upgrades (grading, moisture control, and traceability) to retain more value locally.

India

Estimated 2025 production: 850,000 t

Position: top processor & consumer • Theme: imports RCN for processing

Industry structure

India’s role is defined as much by processing scale as by farming area: raw-nut imports help keep factories supplied, stabilize export volumes, and match kernel specifications.

Viet Nam

Estimated 2025 production: 425,000 t

Position: leading kernel exporter • Theme: high-efficiency processing

Nigeria

Estimated 2025 production: 340,000 t

Position: Africa #2 producer • Theme: quality & processing expansion

Tanzania

Estimated 2025 production: 280,000 t

Position: East Africa anchor • Theme: auctions & new factories

Benin

Estimated 2025 production: 260,000 t

Position: fast growth • Theme: second export crop after cotton

Burkina Faso

Estimated 2025 production: 180,000 t

Position: rural development driver • Theme: productivity & infrastructure constraints

Ghana

Estimated 2025 production: 170,000 t

Position: diversification priority • Theme: local processing ambitions

Mozambique

Estimated 2025 production: 150,000 t

Position: historic producer revival • Theme: orchard renewal & pest control

Indonesia

Estimated 2025 production: 130,000 t

Position: export-oriented • Theme: kernel quality; aging orchards

Rank	Country	2025 production (t)	Key notes
1	Côte d’Ivoire	1,050,000	Largest producer; value-add and processing expansion focus
2	India	850,000	Major processor and consumer; imports raw nuts for factories
3	Viet Nam	425,000	Leading kernel exporter; high-efficiency processing and imports
4	Nigeria	340,000	Africa’s #2 producer; improving quality and processing capacity
5	Tanzania	280,000	Key smallholder crop; auction system; factory expansion
6	Benin	260,000	Fast growth; major export crop alongside cotton
7	Burkina Faso	180,000	Rural development driver; logistics and productivity constraints
8	Ghana	170,000	Diversification priority; building domestic processing channels
9	Mozambique	150,000	Historic producer; orchard rehabilitation and new investment
10	Indonesia	130,000	Export-oriented; kernel quality; orchard renewal needs

Units: metric tons, in-shell raw cashew nuts (RCN). Values are rounded estimates for a 2025 snapshot.

Chart 1: Top 10 cashew producers (2025, estimated)

Bar length reflects production volume (in-shell, metric tons).

Chart fallback (data list): Côte d’Ivoire 1,050,000; India 850,000; Viet Nam 425,000; Nigeria 340,000; Tanzania 280,000; Benin 260,000; Burkina Faso 180,000; Ghana 170,000; Mozambique 150,000; Indonesia 130,000.

Methodology

This ranking is a 2025 snapshot using estimated 2025 production of raw cashew nuts (RCN) on an in-shell basis. Countries are ordered by production volume (metric tons). Values are rounded for readability and should be treated as directional estimates rather than audited totals, because crop years differ across countries and supply chains include informal trade.

Metric: raw cashew nut production (in-shell, metric tons).
Year: 2025 (estimate snapshot; not a single synchronized statistical release).
Processing vs production: production reflects harvested raw nuts; it does not imply domestic kernel processing.
Rounding & harmonization: values are rounded; country names standardized for consistency.
Limitations: weather shocks, pests, farm-gate incentives, and cross-border flows can shift realized totals within a season; revisions are common in agricultural series.

Insights & takeaways

The 2025 cashew story is best understood as geographic specialization. Raw nut supply has expanded rapidly across West Africa, where cashew functions as a core smallholder cash crop tied to rural incomes and export earnings. Meanwhile, the highest-throughput kernel-processing ecosystems remain concentrated in Asia, where scale, labor organization, technology, and buyer networks support reliable exports of graded kernels.

The competitive frontier is shifting toward value addition closer to farms: consistent drying and moisture control, better grading, transparent trading rules, and traceable lots that can access premium markets. In practice, “who grows” and “who captures value” are connected but not identical questions.

What this means for readers

For consumers: diversified supply supports availability, but prices can still move with weather, freight, and inventory cycles.
For businesses: origin and processing hub are separate decisions—raw supply often points to Africa; kernel formats and specs often point to processing hubs.
For producing regions: local processing can raise retained value and jobs, but it depends on stable raw supply, power reliability, finance, skills, and logistics.

FAQ

Why is Côte d’Ivoire ranked #1?

Côte d’Ivoire combines large orchard supply, widespread smallholder participation, and a highly commercialized buying network. In 2025 it remains the largest single-country source of raw cashew nuts (in-shell) in this snapshot.

Why do India and Viet Nam import raw cashews if they also produce them?

Their processing capacity is larger than domestic harvests. Imports help maintain factory utilization, stabilize export volumes, and support consistent kernel specifications across customer contracts.

What does “in-shell” mean, and how is it different from kernels?

“In-shell” refers to raw nuts as harvested. Kernels are the edible portion after shelling and processing. Kernel weights are substantially lower than in-shell weights, so rankings can differ if you switch units.

Does high production automatically mean high exports?

Not necessarily. Some countries export most raw nuts, while others process more domestically and export kernels. Policy, factory capacity, logistics, and market rules influence how much value stays local.

Why is so much production in Africa while much processing is in Asia?

Africa has scaled orchard supply and farm participation, while Asia built large processing ecosystems earlier (skills, equipment, quality systems, buyer networks). The balance is gradually shifting as processing investments expand in producing countries.

What are the biggest risks to production in 2025?

Weather variability, pest pressure, farm-gate price swings, and post-harvest handling (drying, storage, moisture management) can change realized output and kernel recovery rates.

Next: Table tools & region view → Back to Top 10 table ↑

Table tools (Top 10, 2025 snapshot)

Explore the Top 10 list with search, sorting, and filters. “Share of assumed global (%)” is shown only as a scale reference, using an indicative 2025 global total of 5,000,000 t (in-shell).

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Assumed global total (2025): 5,000,000 t

Top 10 total: 3,835,000 t

Visible rows: 10

Rank	Country	Value	Region • Income
1	Côte d’Ivoire	1,050,000 21.00% In-shell raw nuts (RCN)	Africa Lower-middle
2	India	850,000 17.00% In-shell raw nuts (RCN)	Asia Lower-middle
3	Viet Nam	425,000 8.50% In-shell raw nuts (RCN)	Asia Lower-middle
4	Nigeria	340,000 6.80% In-shell raw nuts (RCN)	Africa Lower-middle
5	Tanzania	280,000 5.60% In-shell raw nuts (RCN)	Africa Lower-middle
6	Benin	260,000 5.20% In-shell raw nuts (RCN)	Africa Lower-middle
7	Burkina Faso	180,000 3.60% In-shell raw nuts (RCN)	Africa Low
8	Ghana	170,000 3.40% In-shell raw nuts (RCN)	Africa Lower-middle
9	Mozambique	150,000 3.00% In-shell raw nuts (RCN)	Africa Low
10	Indonesia	130,000 2.60% In-shell raw nuts (RCN)	Asia Upper-middle

Income group uses World Bank country income classification (FY2026, as published in mid-2025). Classifications can change with annual updates. “Share of assumed global (%)” is indicative and depends on the chosen reference total.

Chart 2: Top 10 by region (bubble view)

Each bubble represents a country in the Top 10 only. X-axis is production (t). Y-axis groups countries by region (Africa vs Asia).

Chart fallback (Top 10 region grouping): Africa — Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Tanzania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique. Asia — India, Viet Nam, Indonesia.

Back to Chart 1 ↑ Next: Interpretation & sources →

Interpretation & outlook

The cashew economy in 2025 illustrates a broader pattern common to agricultural commodities: orchard supply expands where land, agronomy, and smallholder participation scale, while processing concentrates where industrial ecosystems already exist. Côte d’Ivoire’s leadership highlights Africa’s growing role as a raw nut supplier, and the steady positions of India and Viet Nam underscore the value of processing capacity, quality systems, and buyer networks.

Industry drivers

Expanding African output: West Africa continues to lead growth in raw nut supply as cashew becomes a primary cash crop for many households.
Local processing push: New factories and policy incentives aim to retain value through jobs and exports of kernels rather than raw nuts.
Demand diversification: Kernels feed snacks and confectionery, but also cashew-based beverages, butters, and ingredient applications.
Compliance premium: Food safety systems, traceability, and sustainability reporting increasingly influence access to high-value markets.

Industry challenges

Price volatility: Farm-gate prices can swing with weather, inventory cycles, freight costs, and buyer timing.
Quality control: Moisture management, drying, storage, and grading are decisive for kernel yield and export acceptance.
Climate risk: Drought, erratic rainfall, and pest pressure can reduce yields or shift harvest calendars.
Value-chain constraints: Power reliability, finance, skills, and logistics often determine whether local processing can scale competitively.

Policy takeaways

Raise orchard productivity: extension services, improved planting material, and pest management typically deliver the fastest gains for smallholders.
Reduce post-harvest losses: drying infrastructure and storage standards improve quality and stabilize prices.
Scale processing responsibly: expansion works best when paired with stable raw supply, reliable energy, skilled labor, and transparent market rules.
Compete on standards: traceability, certification, and food-safety systems are increasingly part of market access in premium segments.

Conclusion

The 2025 cashew landscape is shaped by two connected engines: Africa’s expanding raw nut supply and Asia’s specialization in processing and kernel exports. Côte d’Ivoire leads production, while India and Viet Nam remain central to the global kernel trade through large-scale processing. For producing countries, the biggest opportunity is retaining more value through quality upgrades and scalable processing; for buyers and consumers, the key challenge is managing volatility while strengthening traceability and sustainability.