CASHEW NUTS TRADING.. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.

CASHEW NUT is an agro export crop. Though active to South America, it is cultivated in some parts of West, Middlebelt and Eastern Nigeria. Areas like Ogbomosho, Ilorin, Oyo, Anyigba, Enugu, Lafia, Keffi etc.
The cashew nut tree is mostly cultivated for its nuts: the raw cashew nut is gray in color with about 3mm thick shell, inside this shell is the edible kernel covered by a light brown skin. It is either exported as raw cashew nut, i.e. in-shell or as processed cashew nut kernel in special packaging.
Most raw cashew nut is exported to India and
Vietnam while the processed cashew kernel is
exported to Europe and America being the largest consumer in the world.
The crop season in Nigeria is from February - May. But trading is usually all year round, some traders usually store the raw cashew nuts and sell when it is out of season and scarce.

HANDLING.
A raw cashew nut that looks good on the outside may have bad kernel inside. The yield of the kernels, percentage of defective, average size of the nuts and moisture content are used to determine the quality of the nuts, which usually determines the price a buyer may offer for any raw cashew nut.
Hence effort should be made to improve or
conserve the expected good quality derived from proper handling.

THE FOLLOWING GOOD PRACTISE CAN HELP TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF CASHEW NUTS.

Do not harvest or pluck unripe cashew nuts because the kernel may be shriveled or immature. Hence, only mature and ripe cashew nuts should be harvested and this be done daily.

Do not let the nuts remain on the ground for more than a day before gathering to avoid long contact with soil moisture, sprouting and deterioration e.g. decay.

Sundry the harvested nuts as soon as possible for two or three days depending on the intensity of the sun.


Sundry on a clean surface and should be lightly spread (not higher than 3 inches) and turned regularly to allow uniform dryness.

Do not expose dry cashew nuts to moisture. This is a major requirement for agricultural commodities.

Use only jute bags to bag raw cashew nuts.
Do not heap it un-bagged or in plastic containers to avoid deterioration especially if not properly dried.

Do not bag it in poly-propylene bags.

QUALITY STANDARD.
Cashew nuts meant for export must be thoroughly dry and reasonably free from extraneous matter such as sticks, stalks and other vegetable matter other than cashew nuts. It must also be free from stones.

Total impurities (stones, sticks, stalks and other
vegetable matter) shall not exceed 0.5% of 1kg
sample analyzed.
NUT COUNTS:
170 – 180 ……………….. EXCELLENT
181 – 190 ……………….. VERY GOOD
191 – 200 ……………….. GOOD
201 – 210 ……………….. MIDDLE
211 – 220 ………………. LOW MIDDLE
221 – 230 ………………. LIMIT ACCEPTABLE
ABOVE 230 ………………. POOR.
Note: 170 – 210 nut count is usually the benchmark for exporting raw cashew nuts. But some importers may not be willing to buy RCN that is above 200 nut counts.
In Nigeria, the nut count per 1kg sample varies from zone to zone. While zones like Ogbomosho has between 170 and 180/185, kogi – 190 to 205/210, ondo – 190 to 205/210, Ilorin – 190 to 205, lafia/keffi
– 200 to 210, etc.

MOISTURE.
Exportable quality shall not be more than 10%. You have to make sure the raw cashew nuts are properly sundried and the moisture content must be properly analyzed.

KERNEL OUT-TURN RATION (KOR)
It is the quality of good nut we get from 80kg of raw cashew nuts. The count is in pound per 80kg.
KOR REMARK
48 – 55 EXCELLENT
45 – 47 GOOD
40 – 44 AVERAGE
BELOW 40 LOW/POOR

DEFECTIVES
Diseased or mouldy – shall include all nuts which when cut reveal the presence of fungi growth or a milky patch or a spread of brown or black spot on the split kernel. This is often caused by high moisture for several days prior to proper dryings, wrong packing and
improper storage.

BROWN RANCID ROTTEN (BRR) – shall include all brown, rancid, rotten and discolored kernels which are light yellowish in color. This is caused by similar factors listed above.

VOID – these are nuts which show absence of
kernel, emptiness or absence of a kernel of useful size. This is probably caused by natural
malformation.

IMMATURE/SHRIVELED – shall include all nuts which when cut contain space between the kernel and the shell, shrink or contain kernel that is not fully developed. This is caused by harvesting immature nuts.

SPOTTED – shall include all nuts which show the presence of a black or brown spot on the kernel.
This is caused by insect bite at the early stages of the development of the nuts.

INSECT DAMAGE (WEEVILLED) – shall include all cashew nuts which when cut show a state of insect attack or weevilled or presence of bead-like or powdery particles. Poor storage condition is responsible for this.

CHECK TEST FOR QUALITY
Carrying out a quality check test on cashew nuts like every other agricultural export produce begins with proper sampling. Samples shall be drawn from not less than 30% of consignment, sample shall be
properly mixed, reduced and from which 1kg
sample is drawn for analysis which include
moisture, nut count, defectives and finally KOR.

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT METHODS:
The quality of a bad cashew nut consignment can be improved by hand picking.

HAND PICKING – means picking or removing all suspected cashew nuts such as very small nuts, light weight nuts apparently rotten, broken or wounded nuts out of the consignment.

MORE TO COME... KEEP FOLLOWING.

CHECK OUT MY EBOOK ON CASHEW :

1. A COMPREHENSIVE TEXTBOOK ON CASHEW NUTS TRADING = #2500 (TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED NAIRA ONLY)

2. BUSINESS PLAN AND PROPOSAL ON CASHEW NUTS TRADING FOR LOCAL TRADERS, IMPORTERS & EXPORTERS = #4000 (FOUR THOUSAND NAIRA ONLY)

CALL 07064821943 (WHATSAPP)
08023881557

Following!

lomzy1:
CASHEW NUTS TRADING.. WHAT YOU NEED TO
KNOW
.

CASHEW NUT is a confection and agro export crop.
Though active to South America, it is cultivated in
some parts of West, Middlebelt and Eastern Nigeria.
Areas like Ogbomosho, Ilorin, Oyo, Anyigba, Enugu,
Lafia, Keffi etc.
The cashew nut tree is mostly cultivated for its nuts:
the raw cashew nut is gray in color with about 3mm
thick shell, inside this shell is the edible kernel
covered by a light brown skin. It is either exported
as raw cashew nut, i.e. in-shell or as processed
cashew nut kernel in special packaging.
Most raw cashew nut is exported to India and
Vietnam while the processed cashew kernel is
exported to Europe and America being the largest
consumer in the world.
The crop season in Nigeria is from February - May.
But trading is usually all year round, some traders
usually store the raw cashew nuts and sell when it is
out of season and scarce.
HANDLING.
A raw cashew nut that looks good on the outside
may have bad kernel inside. The yield of the kernels,
percentage of defective, average size of the nuts and
moisture content are used to determine the quality
of the nuts, which usually determines the price a
buyer may offer for any raw cashew nut.
Hence effort should be made to improve or
conserve the expected good quality derived from
proper handling.
THE FOLLOWING GOOD PRACTISE CAN HELP TO
IMPROVE QUALITY OF CASHEW NUTS.
Do not harvest or pluck unripe cashew nuts because
the kernel may be shriveled or immature. Hence,
only mature and ripe cashew nuts should be
harvested and this be done daily.
Do not let the nuts remain on the ground for more
than a day before gathering to avoid long contact
with soil moisture, sprouting and deterioration e.g.
decay.
Sundry the harvested nuts as soon as possible for
two or three days depending on the intensity of the
sun.
Sundry on a clean surface and should be lightly
spread (not higher than 3 inches) and turned
regularly to allow uniform dryness.
Do not expose dry cashew nuts to moisture. This is
a major requirement for agricultural commodities.
Use only jute bags to bag raw cashew nuts.
Do not heap it un-bagged or in plastic containers to
avoid deterioration especially if not properly dried.
Do not bag it in poly-propylene bags.
QUALITY STANDARD.
Cashew nuts meant for export must be thoroughly
dry and reasonably free from extraneous matter
such as sticks, stalks and other vegetable matter
other than cashew nuts. It must also be free from
stones.
Total impurities (stones, sticks, stalks and other
vegetable matter) shall not exceed 0.5% of 1kg
sample analyzed.
NUT COUNTS:
170 – 180 ……………….. EXCELLENT
181 – 190 ……………….. VERY GOOD
191 – 200 ……………….. GOOD
201 – 210 ……………….. MIDDLE
211 – 220 ………………. LOW MIDDLE
221 – 230 ………………. LIMIT ACCEPTABLE
ABOVE 230 ………………. POOR.
Note: 170 – 210 nut count is usually the benchmark
for exporting raw cashew nuts. But some importers
may not be willing to buy RCN that is above 200 nut
counts.
In Nigeria, the nut count per 1kg sample varies from
zone to zone. While zones like Ogbomosho has
between 170 and 180/185, kogi – 190 to 205/210,
ondo – 190 to 205/210, Ilorin – 190 to 205, lafia/keffi
– 200 to 210, etc.
MOISTURE.
Exportable quality shall not be more than 10%. You
have to make sure the raw cashew nuts are properly
sundried and the moisture content must be properly
analyzed.
KERNEL OUT-TURN RATION (KOR)
It is the quality of good nut we get from 80kg of raw
cashew nuts. The count is in pound per 80kg.
KOR REMARK
48 – 55 EXCELLENT
45 – 47 GOOD
40 – 44 AVERAGE
BELOW 40 LOW/POOR
DEFECTIVES
Diseased or mouldy – shall include all nuts which
when cut reveal the presence of fungi growth or a
milky patch or a spread of brown or black spot on
the split kernel.
This is often caused by high moisture for several
days prior to proper dryings, wrong packing and
improper storage.
BROWN RANCID ROTTEN (BRR) – shall include all
brown, rancid, rotten and discolored kernels which
are light yellowish in color. This is caused by similar
factors listed above.
VOID – these are nuts which show absence of
kernel, emptiness or absence of a kernel of useful
size. This is probably caused by natural
malformation.
IMMATURE/SHRIVELED – shall include all nuts which
when cut contain space between the kernel and the
shell, shrink or contain kernel that is not fully
developed. This is caused by harvesting immature
nuts.
SPOTTED – shall include all nuts which show the
presence of a black or brown spot on the kernel.
This is caused by insect bite at the early stages of
the development of the nuts.
INSECT DAMAGE (WEEVILLED) – shall include all
cashew nuts which when cut show a state of insect
attack or weevilled or presence of bead-like or
powdery particles. Poor storage condition is
responsible for this.
CHECK TEST FOR QUALITY
Carrying out a quality check test on cashew nuts like
every other agricultural export produce begins with
proper sampling. Samples shall be drawn from not
less than 30% of consignment, sample shall be
properly mixed, reduced and from which 1kg
sample is drawn for analysis which include
moisture, nut count, defectives and finally KOR.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT METHODS:
The quality of a bad cashew nut consignment can be
improved by hand picking.
HAND PICKING – means picking or removing all
suspected cashew nuts such as very small nuts, light
weight nuts apparently rotten, broken or wounded
nuts out of the consignment.
08023881557
07064821943
Cashewguru1@gmail.com
MORE TO COME... KEEP FOLLOWING.

GUIDE TO HARVESTING AND POST-HARVEST HANDLING OF CASHEW NUTS.
Cashew is generally cultivated for the raw cashew nuts in Nigeria. Mature cashew trees normally start flowering in late November to December. The fruit matures in 90 – 100 days after flowering. The ripe fruits normally start to drop in late January, the peak fruit collection period is between mid February and mid April.
It is important to remember that the excellence and thoroughness of post harvest handling affects the quality of the product and thus brings better price to farmers.

Keep following thread for more.....

Great info

Specifications of processed cashew kernels.

White Wholes
W180
W210
W240
W320
W450
W500 

Scorched Wholes
SW
SW180
SW210
SW240
SW320
SW450
SW500

Dessert Wholes
SSW (Scorched wholes seconds)
DW  ( Dessert wholes)

 Brokens
White pieces
B (Butts)

S (Splits)
LWP(Large white pieces)
SWP(Small white pieces)

BB   (Baby Bits)

Scorched small pieces
SB (Scorched butts)
SS (Scorched splits)
SP (Scorched pieces)
SSP(Scorched small pieces 

Dessert pieces
SPS (Scorched pieces seconds)
DP (Dessert pieces)

lomzy1:
Specifications of processed cashew kernels.

White Wholes
W180
W210
W240
W320
W450
W500 

Scorched Wholes
SW
SW180
SW210
SW240
SW320
SW450
SW500

Dessert Wholes
SSW (Scorched wholes seconds)
DW  ( Dessert wholes)

 Brokens
White pieces
B (Butts)

S (Splits)
LWP(Large white pieces)
SWP(Small white pieces)

BB   (Baby Bits)

Scorched small pieces
SB (Scorched butts)
SS (Scorched splits)
SP (Scorched pieces)
SSP(Scorched small pieces 

Dessert pieces
SPS (Scorched pieces seconds)
DP (Dessert pieces)

Weldone bro! I am learning here. Though my city (ogbomoso) is one of the best cashew producing in the world yet I don't know all these technicalities about cashew nut. Pls ride on

hotmas911:
Weldone bro! I am learning here. Though my city (ogbomoso) is one of the best cashew producing in the world yet I don't know all these technicalities about cashew nut. Pls ride on

Thanks for d compliments sir. Well ogbomosho has the best cashew nuts specifications in Nigeria, not in the world. Countries like cote d'ivoire and benin republic have better quality in Africa.
Vietnam, india and brazil produce some of the best quality in the world.
Ogbomosho cashew is the best we have in Nigeria and it also commands a high value. Most importers and buyers of Nigerian cashew nuts put premium on ogbomosho cashew nuts.
Kogi state has the highest concentration of cashew in Nigeria.

lomzy1:

Thanks for d compliments sir. Well ogbomosho has the best cashew nuts specifications in Nigeria, not in the world. Countries like cote d'ivoire and benin republic have better quality in Africa.
Vietnam, india and brazil produce some of the best quality in the world.
Ogbomosho cashew is the best we have in Nigeria and it also commands a high value. Most importers and buyers of Nigerian cashew nuts put premium on ogbomosho cashew nuts.
Kogi state has the highest concentration of cashew in Nigeria.

Following. Contacts of mine have interests in this area. They had some rather bad experience in ogbimoso and are now looking 4 a new alternative in Nigeria just incase the ogbomoso side disappoints again. Someone suggested Abia, Uturu and Afikpo to be precise. We are told the nuts there are of different quality to that in ogbomoso. Do u have any information that can help? So I can pass it on b4 they set off.

drnoel:


Following. Contacts of mine have interests in this area. They had some rather bad experience in ogbimoso and are now looking 4 a new alternative in Nigeria just incase the ogbomoso side disappoints again. Someone suggested Abia, Uturu and Afikpo to be precise. We are told the nuts there are of different quality to that in ogbomoso. Do u have any information that can help? So I can pass it on b4 they set off.

I don't know much about abia cashew nuts. what really matters is knowing the KOR (quality) and the NUT COUNTS your client wants. Then you look for where you can get such quality In Nigeria, you may not necessarily need to buy from ogbomosho, you may get the quality in abia, enugu, nasarawa, kogi or kwara.
The KOR of Nigerian cashew nuts range between 38 - 52 kor. If your client wants 40 - 46 kor, you should be able to get from other regions.
Bad eggs are everywhere, you really have to be careful when dealing with some of the agents. What is most important is how to determine the quality of the cashew nuts, I.e how to calculate the KOR and the NUT COUNT.

lomzy1:

Thanks for d compliments sir. Well ogbomosho has the best cashew nuts specifications in Nigeria, not in the world. Countries like cote d'ivoire and benin republic have better quality in Africa.
Vietnam, india and brazil produce some of the best quality in the world.
Ogbomosho cashew is the best we have in Nigeria and it also commands a high value. Most importers and buyers of Nigerian cashew nuts put premium on ogbomosho cashew nuts.
Kogi state has the highest concentration of cashew in Nigeria.

thanks for the enlightenment. I love my city! We have thousands of acres excellent for cashew plantation in Ogbomoso @70k per acre. We can also help set up the plantation. Check my profile for more details.

The Issue Of The Kor Calculation Has Been The Major Problem In This Biz.I Will Deeply Appreciate It If U Can Show Us How It Can Be Calculated

Godfirst2014:
The Issue Of The Kor Calculation Has Been The Major Problem In This Biz.I Will Deeply Appreciate It If U Can Show Us How It Can Be Calculated

The calculation of KOR is practical. The test to be carried out is practical and physical, about 1kg of raw cashew nut, selected randomly from the stock/consignment have to be broken and examine in order to determine the quality of the nuts.. Each nut will be categorized and termed as:
MOISTURE
DISEASED / MOULDY
BRR
VOID
SPOTTED
IMMATURE
TOTAL DEFECTIVES

The nut count is also needed to calculate the KOR. There is a specific formula used to determine the KOR.
Honestly, there's no way I can explain it here. I've just given you an insight with my illustration above. Samples are needed to carry out the test.

Ride on the season is here

What you can do before the season begins:

1. Buy jute bags: price of jute bags is usually low now. You can start buying jute bags and keep till the season begins. The price shoots up during the season.

2. Travel to your source: if you have a particular place you want to buy from, try and visit the place before the season takes off, familarize yourself with the town, meet your suppliers and try to run a thorough background check on them discreetly.

3. If you have trustworthy suppliers, you may advance some fund to them, so you could get good buying rate at the beginning of the season. Most farmers need money to take care of their plantation between now and february, this period is a very crucial periiod for farmers especially those who don't have money to run things. So they often look for people to advance money to them or they sell their plantation to investor at a very good rate.
If you are new to the business, pls do not give money in advance, its better you do "see and buy"

4. Link up with foreign buyers: you can start looking for export deals now.

5. Try and get at least 3 local buyers (exporters) of raw cashew nuts in Nigeria: if you will be selling locally, you need to have at least 3 good buyers of cashew nuts in nigeria, most of these buyers are indian companies and are located in lagos. Although there are also individual exporters who have export contracts to service, so you may need to start linking up with prospective buyers now. Visit their offices and tell them you intend to supply them when the season takes off.

6. Start calling your uncles, aunts in the village to enquire about cashew especially if you are from any of the producing states: a lot of youth sit down in lagos doing nothing nowadays and they will be saying they are jobless, while there's treasure in the villages they left behind. There's an adage in yoruba language that says "igbe l'owo wa" (money is in the bush. Connect with them and let them know you have an interest.

7. Research: knowledge is power and nobody knows it all. Get online and do research on cashew nuts, learn from people who have knowledge about it. Read books, visit plantations, explore.

8. Start raising fund: capital is essential, if you have all d experience necessary and you don't have fund to execute it, it may affect you. Raise enough fund for the business.

The Write Up Is Highly Informative And Educative.Thank So Much

Godfirst2014:
The Write Up Is Highly Informative And Educative.Thank So Much

You are welcome sir.

Cashew season is around d corner..
Watch this space for updates and market analysis.

The first crops are coming out gradually.. 2015 season should fully commence by february ending.
We patiently await the 2015 flag off soon.....

2015 CROP !!!

2015 cashew season will be flagged off on the 20th of this month.

Cashew nuts trading will be officially flagged off in kogi state today. Commercial activities will commence today.

Happy trading to everyone.

Raw cashew nuts available for sale.
Call 07064821943
08023881557.

I am a cashew nut buyer. contact me on seyidacosta79@yahoo.com

Seyi

We expect price of cashew nuts to crash by next week hopefully.

lomzy1:
We expect price of cashew nuts to crash by next week hopefully.

How & what is likely price going to be?

We have cashew nuts available
07064821943
08023881557

lomzy1:
We have cashew nuts available
07064821943
08023881557

. Pls, what is ur best price to Lagos we need 500m/t very urgent?

Pls tell every one here how much is a MT of the nuts excluding transportation.

lomzy1:
We have cashew nuts available
07064821943
08023881557

Hello, we are looking for exporters/suppliers of raw cashew nuts to India... Please if you are an exporter contact us through our thread and read our buyers specifications....

https://www.nairaland.com/2280920/looking-exporter-supply-200mt-raw

Flavored cashew nuts..