Cambodia’s Premium Cashew Sector Targeting China

At the 2026 CFNA China International Tree Nuts Conference, which took place from Aug. 5 to 8 in Yiwu, An Dara, president of the Cambodia Cashew Federation, shared the latest data and national development strategy for Cambodia’s cashew industry. As a globally significant cashew producer, Cambodia is currently trying to transition from a raw material supplier to a high-value processing hub, with China identified as its most important strategic market for the future.

The Cambodia Cashew Federation is a government-led organization mandated to represent the national cashew industry. Its core objective is to integrate the entire value chain, including growers, processors and exporters, under a single umbrella to formulate and implement national cashew policy, while also providing full-chain financial support to its members. The federation encompasses 342 cashew communities, connecting over 200,000 smallholder farmer families and 48 cashew processing facilities.

Although Cambodia is a major cashew producer, its domestic processing rate accounts for only about 5% of total production. The country’s limited domestic processing capacity means that over 90% of raw cashew nuts are exported to neighboring Vietnam for processing into higher-value products that are then sent on to the target export markets. To address this, the Cambodian government has set clear targets: to increase local processing to 25% by 2027, with an ambition to reach 50% by 2032.

Cambodian cashews are of excellent quality with 70% being the M23 variety, used to produce WW160 and WW180 kernels, the largest available on the global market. Chinese consumers show strong demand for high-quality cashews with large kernels, and Cambodian cashews, known for their large size, white color, sweet taste and rich nutritional content, are highly aligned with Chinese market preferences.

By the end of June 2026, Cambodia’s raw cashew exports had reached approximately 1.03 million metric tons, a year-on-year increase of 28%. Despite global market challenges such as tightening supply, Cambodia’s position as a leading raw cashew supplier remains solid.

Image: 2026 CFNA China International Tree Nuts Conference