# Cashew nuts

A tropical tree nut grown mostly in West Africa and India, but shelled largely in Vietnam and India because shelling is laborious.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/

Fruit, roots & pulses · No. 119

- Not on a critical list
- HHI 1,182 · unconcentrated
 Fruit, roots & pulses · Foundation · Matter

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

1. 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%.
2. 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.
3. The United States bought 27.7% of shelled cashew imports by value in 2024, making it the biggest snack market.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Orchard trees**Smallholder trees in hot, dry tropics
2. 2 **Gathering**Nuts twisted off fallen cashew apples
3. 3 **Raw nuts**Sun-dried and sold to exporters
4. 4 **Shelling**Steamed or roasted, cracked and peeled
5. 5 **Kernels**Graded, roasted and packed for snacking

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cashew/links/index.md)