# Cashew
The cashew (*Anacardium occidentale*) is a tropical evergreen tree of the family [Anacardiaceae](https://www.edgepedia.org/anacardiaceae), grown for its kidney-shaped seed, the cashew nut of commerce, and for the swollen fruit-like stalk, the cashew apple, on which the nut hangs[1](https://www.fao.org/4/ad523e/ad523e05.htm). The tree is native to the continental neotropics, with its origin in northeastern Brazil, and is now cultivated and naturalized throughout the tropics[1](https://www.fao.org/4/ad523e/ad523e05.htm) • [2](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A319068-2/general-information).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | *Anacardium occidentale* L., family Anacardiaceae, first published in *Species Plantarum* (1753)[2](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A319068-2/general-information) |
| Origin | Northeastern Brazil; spread in pre-Columbian times across South and Central America[1](https://www.fao.org/4/ad523e/ad523e05.htm) |
| The nut | Kidney- or heart-shaped, about 3 x 2 x 1.2 cm and 5 to 6 g, with a creamy white kernel under a thin reddish-brown testa[1](https://www.fao.org/4/ad523e/ad523e05.htm) |
| The apple | A swollen pedicel forming a soft, juicy, pear-shaped pseudo-fruit, 10 to 20 cm long, red to yellow when ripe[3](https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/database/thaivege/008) |
| Shell liquid | The spongy mesocarp holds cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), a resinous, caustic oil[1](https://www.fao.org/4/ad523e/ad523e05.htm) • [4](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4377390/) |
| Growing conditions | Tolerates drought and poor soil but not cold or frost; in East Africa grown from sea level to 1000 m in areas of 500 mm rainfall or more[5](https://www.fao.org/4/x5043e/x5043E06.htm) |
| Production today | Africa supplies about 60% of global raw cashew nut output; Vietnam is the largest processor and exporter[6](https://corsodoro.com/market-reports/cashew-market-q1-2026/) |
## The tree and its fruit
The cashew is a small to medium evergreen tree, commonly 6 to 12 m tall, with a wide, dome-shaped crown and leathery, obovate leaves[3](https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/database/thaivege/008) • [7](https://www.fao.org/4/t0006e/t0006e00.pdf). Its flowers are borne in drooping terminal panicles and are either male or hermaphrodite[3](https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/database/thaivege/008).
What is sold as the cashew nut is botanically the true fruit, a one-seeded drupe, while the cashew apple is a pseudo-fruit: after fertilization the receptacle and pedicel swell into a soft, juicy, pear-shaped structure 10 to 20 cm long and 4 to 8 cm across, red to yellow when ripe[1](https://www.fao.org/4/ad523e/ad523e05.htm) • [3](https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/database/thaivege/008). The nut's pericarp has a leathery outer layer, a spongy mesocarp whose air-filled pockets contain the sticky resinous liquid CNSL, and a hard inner layer around the kernel[1](https://www.fao.org/4/ad523e/ad523e05.htm). The apple is edible fresh or preserved, and the seeds must be roasted before eating[2](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A319068-2/general-information) • [8](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/anacardium-occidentale).
## Origin and spread
Native to Brazil's northeast, the cashew had already reached much of South and [Central America](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-america) before Columbus arrived.[1](https://www.fao.org/4/ad523e/ad523e05.htm) Portuguese traders carried it to [West Africa](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-africa), East Africa, and India in the 15th and 16th centuries, and it later reached northern Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, and Florida[9](https://www.fao.org/4/ac451e/ac451e0b.htm) • [1](https://www.fao.org/4/ad523e/ad523e05.htm).
**A tree planted for erosion control.** In Africa the Portuguese used the tree against soil erosion on poor sandy coastal soils, and it prospered and spread naturally, particularly in [East Africa](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-africa) and India; the progeny of these wild trees formed the basis of the raw material for the cashew industry[9](https://www.fao.org/4/ac451e/ac451e0b.htm). After 1945, world production and consumption of cashew nuts increased sharply, and cashew became the world's most important dessert nut after almonds[9](https://www.fao.org/4/ac451e/ac451e0b.htm). It was introduced into Vietnam in the 19th century as a home-garden shade tree and recognized as an industrial crop only about two decades before that account was written[1](https://www.fao.org/4/ad523e/ad523e05.htm).
## Cultivation
The tree tolerates a wide range of conditions, including drought and poor soil, but cannot withstand cold or frost[5](https://www.fao.org/4/x5043e/x5043E06.htm). It is propagated by seed, which germinates within 15 to 25 days[1](https://www.fao.org/4/ad523e/ad523e05.htm). An older FAO monograph estimated global production at 0.38 million tonnes and, citing World Bank data, that 97% of production came from wild trees and only 3% from established plantations[5](https://www.fao.org/4/x5043e/x5043E06.htm). Major producing countries listed there include Tanzania, India, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, and others[5](https://www.fao.org/4/x5043e/x5043E06.htm).
## Processing and the shell hazard
After harvest, farmers separate the drupe from the cashew apple and sun-dry the nuts, mixing them until shell moisture falls to around 8 to 10%[10](https://www.cashews.org/cashew-industry/processing/). Converting raw nuts into edible kernels then follows the traditional sequence of roasting, shelling, drying, peeling, grading, quality controls, fumigation, and packaging[10](https://www.cashews.org/cashew-industry/processing/).
**The shell liquid is caustic.** CNSL occurs in two forms: natural (iCNSL), which in one analyzed sample contained 94.5% anacardic acid, and technical (tCNSL), obtained by further processing, which contained 91.3% cardanol[4](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4377390/). Cashew shell oil also contains cardol, identified as one of its allergens in patch-testing of 19 volunteers with poison ivy urushiol and a cashew shell extract[11](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6715612/). These compounds are chemically related to the urushiol of poison ivy, and manual shelling poses health risks to workers[11](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6715612/) • [12](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2025/04/18/coffee-cocoa-vanilla-the-severe-social-and-environmental-impacts-of-foods-imported-to-france_6740387_114.html). In bioassays, tCNSL was not toxic, cytotoxic, or mutagenic at the concentrations tested, and both liquids showed preventive and reparative effects on chromosomal damage in *Allium cepa*[4](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4377390/).
## Production and trade today
Raw nut production has shifted decisively toward West Africa. Industry estimates for the 2025-26 season put Côte d'Ivoire first at 1.5 million (15.0 lakh) MT (about 1.5 million tonnes, up 25%), followed by Cambodia at 9.3, India at 8.1, Tanzania at 5.0, Nigeria at 3.7, and Vietnam at 320,000 (3.2 lakh) MT[13](https://apeda.gov.in/sites/default/files/2026-04/MIC_February_Monthly_dashboard_Cashew_210326.pdf). Africa accounts for about 60% of global raw cashew nut output[6](https://corsodoro.com/market-reports/cashew-market-q1-2026/).
**Processing is concentrated in Asia.** Vietnam is the largest processor and exporter, producing roughly 300,000 MT of kernels while importing about 3.12 million tonnes of raw nuts[6](https://corsodoro.com/market-reports/cashew-market-q1-2026/). Vietnam accounts for about 9% of the global harvest but relies heavily on raw cashew nut imports because its processing capacity exceeds local production; its average export price rose 2.9% to $5,867 per tonne in 2024[14](https://www.superunie.nl/app/uploads/2025/08/2025-07-25_HRIA-Superunie_Cashews-Vietnam_Report_FINAL_Website-1.pdf). India's production grew from 794 thousand tonnes in 2023-24 to 802 thousand tonnes in 2024-25, and it remains a major importer of raw nuts to feed its processing industry[15](https://apeda.gov.in/cashew).
## Social conditions in the chain
A 2025 study of foods imported to France reported that cashew production is marked by very poor social conditions: West African producers earn only two-thirds of the minimum living income, and raw cashews are shipped to Vietnam for shelling, done mostly by women at risk to their health from the shell acids, before re-export[12](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2025/04/18/coffee-cocoa-vanilla-the-severe-social-and-environmental-impacts-of-foods-imported-to-france_6740387_114.html). Cashew imports to France tripled in ten years[12](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2025/04/18/coffee-cocoa-vanilla-the-severe-social-and-environmental-impacts-of-foods-imported-to-france_6740387_114.html).
## Conservation status
Kew's Plants of the World Online records the species as accepted, native from Trinidad to southern tropical America, and the IUCN Red List assesses it as least concern[2](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A319068-2/general-information).
## References
1. [Fruits of Vietnam, FAO (cashew chapter)](https://www.fao.org/4/ad523e/ad523e05.htm)
2. [Anacardium occidentale L., Plants of the World Online, Kew Science](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A319068-2/general-information)
3. [Anacardium occidentale L. (Anacardiaceae), JIRCAS](https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/database/thaivege/008)
4. [Evaluation of Toxic, Cytotoxic, Mutagenic, and Antimutagenic Activities of Natural and Technical Cashew Nut Shell Liquids, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4377390/)
5. [Minor oil crops - Cashew nut monograph, FAO](https://www.fao.org/4/x5043e/x5043E06.htm)
6. [Cashew Market Report Q1 2026, Corsodoro](https://corsodoro.com/market-reports/cashew-market-q1-2026/)
7. [Anacardium occidentale L., FAO Anacard monograph](https://www.fao.org/4/t0006e/t0006e00.pdf)
8. [Anacardium occidentale - an overview, ScienceDirect Topics](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/anacardium-occidentale)
9. [Cashew Nut Nutritional Aspects, B.K. Nandi, FAO](https://www.fao.org/4/ac451e/ac451e0b.htm)
10. [Processing - Cashews, Global Cashew Council](https://www.cashews.org/cashew-industry/processing/)
11. [Dermatitis from cashew nuts, PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6715612/)
12. [Coffee, cocoa, vanilla: The severe social and environmental impacts of foods imported to France, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2025/04/18/coffee-cocoa-vanilla-the-severe-social-and-environmental-impacts-of-foods-imported-to-france_6740387_114.html)
13. [Market Intelligence Cell for APEDA, Cashew dashboard](https://apeda.gov.in/sites/default/files/2026-04/MIC_February_Monthly_dashboard_Cashew_210326.pdf)
14. [Human Rights Impact Assessment: Cashews from Vietnam, Superunie](https://www.superunie.nl/app/uploads/2025/08/2025-07-25_HRIA-Superunie_Cashews-Vietnam_Report_FINAL_Website-1.pdf)
15. [Cashew, APEDA](https://apeda.gov.in/cashew)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Applied biology and nonhuman health › Crops, horticulture, and forestry › Fruit crops and fruit-bearing plants (species)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license