As the world’s largest cashew kernel exporter, in April alone, Vietnamese businesses spent nearly 943 million USD to import raw cashew nuts – the highest on record.
According to the latest report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, last April, Vietnam imported about 543,100 tons of cashew nuts with a turnover of nearly 943 million USD. This is the largest import level ever recorded in a month, more than twice the cashew export value of the same period.
Accumulated in the first 4 months of 2026, domestic businesses have spent nearly 2.2 billion USD to import 1.3 million tons of cashew nuts, up 23% in volume and 32% in value compared to the same period last year. The average import price reached nearly 1,704 USD per ton, an increase of 7.6%.
In the opposite direction, cashew exports show signs of slowing down. In April alone, Vietnam exported about 61,100 tons of cashew nuts, earning 433 million USD. In the first 4 months of the year, export turnover reached 1.3 billion USD with an output of about 186,600 tons.
Compared to the same period in 2025, cashew exports will decrease by 4.6% in output and 3% in value, although the average export price will increase by nearly 2%, to nearly 6,934 USD per ton.
According to the Vietnam Cashew Association (Vinacas), Vietnam currently accounts for about 80% of global cashew kernel exports. However, the domestic cashew industry is mainly strong in the processing stage, while domestic raw material sources only meet a small part of production needs.
Raw cashew nuts are bagged at the warehouse. Image: Vinacas
A representative of a cashew import business in Ho Chi Minh City said the amount of imported raw cashews increased sharply due to the peak purchasing of raw materials from Cambodia and Africa. This year, supply from many countries is more abundant, while international prices increase, causing import turnover to set a record.
“Vietnamese businesses are playing the role of the world’s cashew processing center. Imported raw cashew nuts will be peeled, roasted, processed and then re-exported to the US, Europe and the Middle East,” this person said.
Over the years, the cashew area in the country has continuously shrunk as farmers switched to crops with higher economic value. In addition, low productivity and old raw material areas make it difficult for supply to meet the needs of the processing industry.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Cambodia continues to be the largest source of cashew nuts for Vietnam, accounting for 51.7% of total import turnover. Next is Tanzania with 19.9%, Ivory Coast 11.9% and Nigeria 1.9%.
Supply from many markets increased sharply in the first months of the year, especially Ivory Coast and Nigeria when import turnover increased 5.4 times and 4.2 times respectively over the same period last year. Cashew nuts are currently the agricultural product with the largest import turnover in the country in the first 4 months of this year.