West Africa supplies most of the world's raw cashews, but the region's farmers are absorbing the pain of a market downturn. Ivory Coast, the world's largest producer, set its minimum farmgate price for the 2026 season at 400 CFA francs per kilogram, a 6 per cent cut from the previous campaign, blaming a slump in international markets amplified by US trade measures, according to African Agribusiness.
Prices Cut Across the Belt
Ivory Coast is not alone. Ghana set its own minimum farmgate price at 12 cedis per kilogram, a 20 per cent decline from the previous season, with its Tree Crops Development Authority citing international market conditions, the same report noted. The United States imposed additional tariffs on farm imports including cashews between August and November 2025, and North America fell behind Europe and China as an import market, leaving authorities cautious about a rebound in US demand.
Shifting Trade Routes
The turmoil is also redrawing where processors buy. With East African stocks running low, Indian importers pivoted toward Nigeria and Ghana for raw nuts, while Burkina Faso moved to prioritise its own factories before allowing exports, according to CMB News. By mid-June 2026, wholesale cashew prices stood around $4.09 per kilogram in Ivory Coast and $5.43 in India, according to RegionAlert.
Nigeria is one of the world's larger cashew growers, so global price cuts hit the incomes of Nigerian farmers and the rural economy around them. FoodPrices Nigeria tracks verified retail prices across Lagos markets, where the health of the farm sector ultimately shapes what shoppers pay.