Cashew nuts: Stocks
Why raw nuts bought in spring are shelled all year
What this tab covers How much is left and how much is held. For minerals and energy: reserves, current output, years of supply and recycling for the top five countries. For farm commodities: production, ending stocks and stocks-to-use for the top five producers (USDA, October 2026). It also covers inventories and stockpiles.Recycling
Cashew is not recycled and no country holds a public reserve. Processors carry stocks because the African and Indian harvests come once a year: APEDA projects Indian RCN ending stocks of 7.2 lakh t and kernel ending stocks of 1.8 lakh t for 2025-26, down from 8.3 and 2.1 lakh t. India has no stockholding policy for cashew.
Raw nuts in shell keep for a year or more if dry, so processors can buy in the West African season and shell all year. Vacuum-packed kernels keep for months. Processors in Vietnam and India hold large raw-nut inventories, and their buying pace sets West African farm prices. When their stocks are high they hold back, and unsold nuts pile up in producing countries.