Vietnam has maintained its position as the world’s leading exporter of processed cashew nuts for nearly two decades. Despite high domestic production, the Vietnamese cashew industry still significantly relies on imported raw materials to meet processing needs and serve exports.
According to statistics from the General Department of Customs, the import of cashew nuts into Vietnam in April 2025 reached over 480,000 tons with a value of over 732 million USD. This is a significant increase of 61.3% in volume and 45.1% in value compared to March.
In the first four months of the year, Vietnam spent over 1.6 billion USD on imports, equivalent to over 1.04 million tons of cashew nuts. This is an increase of 10% in volume but a significant increase of 39.8% in value compared to the same period in 2024.
The cashew industry aims to achieve an export turnover of 4.5 billion USD in 2025.
In terms of the market, Cambodia is the largest supplier of cashew nuts to Vietnam, with over 757,000 tons, worth more than 1.15 billion USD. This is an increase of 7.5% in volume and a significant 28% in value. The average import price was 1,518 USD/ton, an increase of 20% compared to the same period last year.
Ranking second among cashew nut suppliers to Vietnam is Tanzania, with over 132,000 tons, worth more than 240 million USD. This result is an increase of 97% in volume and a significant 184% in value compared to the same period last year. The price of this item increased significantly by 45% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching an average of 1,823 USD/ton.
Indonesia is the third-largest supplier of cashew nuts to Vietnam, with over 15,000 tons, worth over 24 million USD, a slight increase of 7% in volume but a significant increase of 53% in value. The average price was 1,632 USD/ton, corresponding to a 43% increase.
Cambodia is emerging as one of the world’s leading cashew-producing countries, with impressive production growth. According to the Cashew Association of Cambodia (CAC), in the first 10 months of 2024, the country produced 840,000 tons of raw cashew nuts, a 26% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Kampong Thom is the leading region with 150,000 hectares of cashew, accounting for a large portion of the total 580,117 hectares of cashew cultivation nationwide. Production is expected to increase by 23% over the next five years due to the expansion of cashew areas and the improvement of plant varieties, especially the N20 variety, which has high yield and good disease resistance.
Regarding export potential, Cambodia is currently the world’s second-largest exporter of raw cashew nuts, with 790,000 tons exported to Vietnam in the first 10 months of 2024, accounting for nearly 95% of the total export turnover. In addition to Vietnam, markets such as Japan, China, and the EU are also expanding opportunities. The National Cashew Policy 2022-2027 aims to increase the domestic processing rate from 5% to 25% by 2027, focusing on exporting value-added products such as roasted salted cashews and snacks.
In 2024, Vietnam exported 730,000 tons of processed cashew nuts, bringing in 4.37 billion USD, an increase of 13.3% in volume and 20.2% in value compared to 2023. In terms of market, the United States was the largest market in terms of both volume and value of Vietnam’s cashew nut exports, with a value of over 1.1 billion USD, accounting for 25.1%. China ranks second, with a value of 687.84 million USD. Additionally, the Vietnamese cashew industry has also effectively tapped into the EU market, with exports to several member countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain all experiencing growth.
Since the end of 2024, raw cashew nuts have continuously set records for price increases. The reason for the high price of this agricultural product is that the supply does not meet the demand. The area of cashew has significantly decreased recently.
According to the Vietnam Cashew Association (VINACAS), by 2025, the industry aims to achieve an export turnover of 4.5 billion USD. To realize this ambition, it is necessary to focus on three strategic points: improving product quality, diversifying markets, and enhancing trade promotion.