Cashew Nuts: from farm to port.

Freshly collected raw cashew nuts (RCN) carry too much moisture to be stored or shipped safely. They are spread in thin layers on clean tarpaulins or concrete drying floors and turned regularly for two to three days of full sun, until moisture falls to 10% or below.

Drying is checked with moisture meters rather than by eye. Under-dried nuts sweat in the bag and develop mould; over-dried nuts become brittle, which leads to more broken kernels when they are later shelled. Nuts are kept off bare earth and covered at night and during rain to stop them re-absorbing moisture.

Once dry, the nuts can be stored for many months in ventilated warehouses, raised on pallets and away from walls — giving buyers and processors flexibility over when they take delivery.

The value of raw cashew nuts lies in the kernel, so RCN is traded on its outturn. A representative sample is cut and the good kernels weighed to give the KOR (kernel outturn ratio), expressed as pounds of usable kernel per 80 kg bag. Nigerian RCN typically outturns between 46 and 52 lbs, depending on the origin and the season.

Alongside KOR we measure nut count (the number of nuts per kilogram — fewer means bigger nuts), moisture content and the percentage of defective, immature or spotted kernels. Lots are sampled across many bags rather than from the top layer, so the result reflects the whole consignment.

These figures go on the contract and are verified again by an independent inspector before loading, so the buyer knows exactly what they are paying for.

For buyers who want kernels rather than raw nuts, the RCN goes through processing. Nuts are steamed or roasted to make the shell brittle and neutralise the caustic shell liquid, then shelled to release the kernel. The kernels are dried in ovens to loosen the thin brown skin (the testa), which is then peeled away.

Peeled kernels are sorted by size, colour and wholeness into the internationally recognised grades: W180, W240 and W320 for whole white kernels, where the number is the approximate count of kernels per pound, followed by butts, splits and pieces. Sorting combines machines with careful hand inspection.

Throughout processing, hygiene is controlled to food-grade standards, and finished kernels are tested for moisture, foreign matter and microbiology before they are released for packing.

Raw cashew nuts are packed in 80 kg jute bags, which let the nuts breathe and are the standard unit the RCN trade is priced in. Bags are stencilled with the lot number, origin and weights so each one can be traced back to its grading results.

Kernels are far more delicate. They are vacuum-packed or nitrogen-flushed in foil laminate pouches or tins — usually two 25 lb packs to a carton — which protects them from oxygen, moisture and insects and keeps them fresh for well over a year.

Every shipment carries a phytosanitary certificate, certificate of origin, independent inspection report, weight and quality certificates and, for kernels, a laboratory analysis, assembled to meet the requirements of the destination market.