Côte d’Ivoire Launches $27 Million Cashew Processing Plant in Kpouèbo

Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cashew producer and the third-largest processor after Vietnam and India, continues to expand its industrial capacity with new investment projects.

On Monday, September 22, Prime Minister Robert Beugré inaugurated a new cashew processing plant in Oussou, under the sub-prefecture of Kpouèbo. According to local media reports, the facility—built with an investment of 15 billion CFA francs ($26.99 million)—was established by Singapore-based commodity trader Robust International.

Located on a 6-hectare site, the plant has a processing capacity of 120 tons of raw cashew nuts per day, or 37,440 tons annually. It will produce cashew kernels and cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL). This investment is expected to further strengthen Côte d’Ivoire’s growing cashew processing industry.

Data from the Cotton, Cashew, and Shea Council (CCA-K) indicates that industrial processors had already acquired 650,000 tons of cashew nuts by May 2025—62% above the initial target of 400,000 tons set at the beginning of the season.

With this momentum, the sector could achieve its goal of processing around 50% of local cashew production this year. For the 2025 campaign, Côte d’Ivoire projects a harvest of 1.5 million tons of cashew nuts.