In 2024, the world produced an estimated 5 million tonnes of raw cashew nuts. Remarkably, 60 percent of the raw nuts feeding the global appetite came from African soil and were swiftly shipped to factories in Asia. From Benin and Côte d’Ivoire to Tanzania and Mozambique, the raw nuts depart for foreign grinders and brands, forcing African nations to forfeit billions of dollars each year.
Tanzania, expected to produce over half a million tonnes in 2025, stands as one of Africa’s giants in this trade. While 87.5 percent of its nuts sail raw to India and Vietnam (only to be resold to Europe at more 4.5 times the value), if the status quo remains, this raw-export addiction will cost Tanzania $1.73 billion cumulatively by 2030, enough to lift 800,000 farmers from poverty.
