Cashew nuts: Trading

No futures, just outturn tests, auctions and floor prices

What this tab covers How and where it is bought and sold: who buys and sells, exchanges and benchmarks, contract types, the big trading houses and how prices are discovered.

There is no cashew futures market. Local traders and exporters buy raw nuts, often with finance from Indian and Vietnamese processors, and price them by outturn, the kernel yield per bag. Côte d'Ivoire's cotton and cashew council sets a minimum farm-gate price, and Tanzania auctions nuts through its warehouse-receipt system. Kernels are sold by size and colour grade to roasters and retailers under forward contracts. Brokers publish reference prices, and trade associations in Europe and the United States issue standard contract terms.

Where it is bought (buyers)

Indian processors in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Goa buy RCN CFR Tuticorin, Mangaluru and Kochi from Africa
Vietnamese processors buy RCN from Côte d'Ivoire, Cambodia and other African origins
Roasters and snack makers in the US, EU, China and the Middle East buy kernels FOB Vietnam or India

Where it is sold (sellers)

West and East African exporters and traders ship RCN
Vietnamese and Indian processors export kernels by grade (W180 to W450, splits, pieces)

Exchanges and benchmarks

Venue	Contract	Notes
None	no cashew futures	prices set by physical trade and auctions
Tanzania warehouse-receipt auctions	RCN by lot	transparent price signal for East African nuts

Contract types

RCN sold CFR Asian port, priced in US dollars per tonne with outturn and nut-count specifications
Kernel contracts priced in US dollars per lb FOB, by grade, often for forward shipment
Government-set farmgate prices in Côte d'Ivoire

Top trading houses

ofi (Olam)
Specialist African and Indian RCN traders

How prices are discovered

APEDA monthly dashboard price assessments
Trade-house and broker price reports for kernels by grade
Côte d'Ivoire farmgate announcements and Tanzanian auctions