Cashew kernels
Peeled, graded and packed at origin. Wholes are graded by size and colour; splits, butts and pieces are sold for ingredients and snacks.
- Packing
- Vacuum-packed or gas-flushed, cartons or tins
- Grades
- W180 to W450, splits, butts, pieces
Home / Cashew
Flagship commodity
Cashew from Burkina Faso and Mali.
The southwest of Burkina Faso and southern Mali share a cashew belt that runs from Sikasso through Banfora to Bobo-Dioulasso. As the region moves from raw export to local processing, we help buyers find kernels and raw nuts that fit their specification and the current rules.
385FCFA/kg
Burkina Faso farmgate floor price for raw nuts, 2025, kept for 2026
120kt
raw nuts exported by Burkina Faso in 2023, worth more than 60bn FCFA
~10%
of Burkina Faso's 161,000 t harvest processed locally in 2024: 16,000 t, against 30,000 t of capacity
732kt
raw nuts processed across West Africa in 2025
Forms
From the shell to the kernel.
Cashew is traded in three main forms. Which one makes sense depends on your processing capacity, your market and the export rules for the campaign.
Raw cashew nuts
In-shell nuts, traditionally shipped to processors in Vietnam and India. Quality is judged on outturn, nut count and moisture.
- Packing
- Jute bags, typically 80 kg
- Status
- Subject to national export rules each campaign
Burkina Faso suspended raw-nut exports from 28 March 2025; in 2026, domestic plants had sole buying rights from 21 February to 1 April.
By-products
The shell makes up about 70% of a raw nut's weight. It yields cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) for resins and coatings, and shell fuel. Burkina Faso aims to process 20,000 t of cashew apple a year by 2030.
- Products
- CNSL, shell cake, cashew apple juice
Kernel grades
The language of whole kernels.
White whole kernels are graded by count. The number in the grade is the maximum number of kernels per pound: the lower the number, the larger the kernel. Scorched and dessert grades follow the same logic.
Exact grade definitions, tolerances and packing are set in the contract.
| Grade | Kernels per lb | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| W180 | up to 180 | Premium whole, gifting |
| W240 | up to 240 | Retail whole |
| W320 | up to 320 | Retail and snacking; a common pricing reference |
| W450 | up to 450 | Snacking, value retail |
| Splits | — | Kernels split lengthwise; bakery and confectionery |
| Pieces | — | Large and small white pieces; ingredients |
Quality
What we agree before anything moves.
Every lot is described in measurable terms and checked by an independent inspector at origin. Target values come from your specification, and we write them into the contract.
- Outturn (KOR)Pounds of usable kernel per 80 kg bag of raw nuts: the main value driver for raw nuts.
- Nut countRaw nuts per kilogram. A lower count means larger nuts.
- MoistureMeasured at loading for raw nuts and at packing for kernels.
- Defects & foreign matterSpotted, immature, insect-damaged or rejected nuts; stones and debris.
- Grade & colourKernel count, white or scorched, and broken percentage for kernels.
- Food safetyPhytosanitary certificate, plus residue, aflatoxin or microbiological testing where the destination requires it.
Market reference
Floor prices across the belt.
Each producing country sets a minimum farmgate price for raw nuts at the start of the campaign. These figures anchor origin costs; export prices also reflect quality, logistics and the world market.
385FCFA/kg
Burkina Faso, 2025: up 75 FCFA (24%) on 2024, and kept for 2026.
400FCFA/kg
Côte d'Ivoire, 2026: down from 425 FCFA in 2025, the region's benchmark origin.
Feb–Jun
The usual campaign window across the belt. Each country announces its opening date and floor price at the start of the season.
Policy
Processing at origin is now the policy.
Burkina Faso has restricted raw-nut exports to build local processing, part of a wider push across West Africa to keep more value at origin. For buyers, kernels from origin are becoming the steadier route, and raw-nut supply depends on each year's authorisations.
2025Burkina Faso
Raw-nut exports suspended from 28 March so that local processors, then running at about half of installed capacity, are supplied first.
Dec 2025Bobo-Dioulasso
Burkina Cajou plant inaugurated, adding large-scale processing capacity in the cashew belt.
2025West Africa
732,000 t processed regionally, with Côte d'Ivoire accounting for around 82%.
Next step
Tell us your grade, volume and destination.
We will come back with the questions that matter, the current export position and a clear next step.