| The cashew market is slowly picking up again after a quiet holiday season. The market for whole cashews has been stable recently, thanks to a healthy supply from Africa and Vietnam and steady overseas demand. However, in the last few days, we’ve seen an upward trend in whole prices, mainly driven by increased demand for Raw Cashew Nuts (RCN) from Indian processors. Traders are holding on to their remaining RCN, hoping that the ongoing price increase will continue. It’s unclear how this will play out, as the new crop is approaching and processors might soon have enough material to cover their current contracts, which could lead to a drop in RCN prices. The market for cashew pieces has been volatile for a while, making it difficult to predict availability in the months ahead. When it comes to U.S. import tariffs, the last few months have been a roller coaster. The INC has created a great timeline of all relevant events, which is a useful resource for staying up-to-date on the latest changes. You can find it here: https://inc.nutfruit.org/tariffs-timeline/. Given the current market conditions, a “hand-to-mouth” purchasing strategy is still recommended for whole cashews, as it remains to be seen if the current upward trend will hold. As for pieces, it might be wise to pay extra attention to your needs, as availability could remain volatile for a while. |
