Cashews from Benin
Benin's cashew industry has grown more in the past 15 years than in the previous half-century. Government promotion, smallholder adoption, and rising international demand have made the northern departments — Atacora, Borgou, Collines — one of West Africa's fastest-growing RCN belts.
Role
Fast-growing West African producer
Harvest
Feb–Jun (peak Apr–May)
Key departments
Atacora, Borgou, Collines, Donga
The Benin growth story
Cashew came late to Benin compared to Côte d'Ivoire or Mozambique. Production was minimal through the 1980s and didn't reach commercial scale until the 2000s, when government programs and donor-funded extension services promoted cashew planting in the cotton-belt regions of the north. Today Benin produces 120,000-150,000 MT of RCN annually — small compared to Ivory Coast's million tonnes, but rapidly growing.
Why source from Benin
- Fair-trade and smallholder credibility — heavy donor and NGO involvement has built robust smallholder certification programs
- Quality consistency — newer plantations are more uniform than legacy African origins
- Counter-seasonal supplement — harvests alongside Ivory Coast and Ghana, supplementing the major West African supply
- Cotonou Port — direct international shipping
Things to know
- Most Benin RCN exports to Vietnam and India for processing; domestic processing is limited but growing
- French is the business language — useful to know for direct sourcing
- Quality is generally good but variability higher than Indian/Vietnamese processing — pre-shipment inspection recommended
- The African Cashew Alliance promotes Beninese suppliers actively at trade events