Ivory Coast 2025 cashew output could hit record 1.5 million tons, regulator says

By Loucoumane Coulibaly and Ange Aboa

ABIDJAN, July 15 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast's cashew output could reach a record 1.5 million metric tons in 2025, helped by the West African country's increased fight against smuggling, the head of the regulator said on Tuesday.

The world's top cashew and cocoa producer has already collected 1.4 million tons of raw cashew nuts as of Tuesday, with about 100,000 tons still in the hands of farmers, said Mamadou Berte, director of the Cotton and Cashew Council.

The expected output beats the 1.15 million tons forecast and last year's output of 944,000 tons.

"This year, with all the measures we've taken to secure our borders, we think we're reaching our true production in terms of quantity," Berte said in an interview, adding that new cashew plantations also contributed to the growth.

The sector estimates 200,000 to 250,000 tons of raw nuts are smuggled every year across the borders into Ghana and Burkina Faso, where cashew prices are usually higher.

But Ivory Coast stepped up its fight against cocoa and cashew smuggling with the help of special units that carried out targeted checks and surveillance operations on the eastern and northern borders.

A 55% increase in the farmgate price to 425 CFA francs ($0.7616) also discouraged smugglers.

Berte said some Asian buyers were planning to resume purchases from Ivory Coast after initially holding back in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of sweeping tariffs.

The tariffs are not expected to have a negative impact on the sector, he noted.

Vietnam's authorities said last week they will introduce measures to cope with potential risks from U.S. tariffs. The Southeast Asian country reached an agreement with the Trump administration for a 20% tariff on its products and a 40% levy on transhipments through Vietnam from third countries.

By July 15, processors bought 665,000 tons, including about 200,000 tons for local processors, Berte said, adding that some were asking for more cashew.

($1 = 558.0000 CFA francs)