Cashew nuts
A tropical tree nut grown mostly in West Africa and India, but shelled largely in Vietnam and India because shelling is laborious.
Fruit, roots & pulses · No. 119
- Not on a critical list
- HHI 1,182 · unconcentrated
Each cashew hides inside a shell of caustic oil, so West Africa grows the nuts and Vietnam and India crack them.
Chart: Illustration: Cashew nuts
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Cashews grow below a fleshy cashew apple on trees in the hot, dry tropics; farmers gather fallen fruit, twist off the nuts and dry them in the sun.
Three things to know
- World cashew output rose fivefold from 0.83 million tonnes in 1990 to 4.24 million in 2024, led by Côte d'Ivoire at 22.3%.
- Raw nuts are priced on outturn, the pounds of kernel in an 80 kg bag, so a farmer's income depends on what is inside.
- The United States bought 27.7% of shelled cashew imports by value in 2024, making it the biggest snack market.
The journey
- 1 Orchard treesSmallholder trees in hot, dry tropics
- 2 GatheringNuts twisted off fallen cashew apples
- 3 Raw nutsSun-dried and sold to exporters
- 4 ShellingSteamed or roasted, cracked and peeled
- 5 KernelsGraded, roasted and packed for snacking