CAC News
Phnom Penh, October 30, 2025 — The Cashew Nut Association of Cambodia (CAC) has recently engaged with eight foreign companies from China, India, and South Korea as part of its ongoing efforts to expand export opportunities and promote investment in local cashew processing.
According to CAC, one company from China has expressed interest in purchasing semi-processed cashew nuts, and the CAC has already matched the buyer with two Cambodian suppliers. Meanwhile, two companies from South Korea are exploring investment opportunities in processing facilities — one focused on establishing a cashew processing plant, and the other on setting up a shell extraction plant to produce cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), a valuable byproduct used in industrial applications.
CAC President Silot Uon said the association has advised the South Korean investors to wait for the establishment of the Cashew Industrial Park (CIP), where they would be eligible for government investment incentives and Qualified Investment Project Plus (QIP+) status.
In addition, six Indian companies are scheduled to visit Cambodia between September and November 2025 to explore the export of raw cashew nuts (RCN) to India. CAC is coordinating their itineraries, which include visits to farms and processing plants in Kampong Thom and Kampong Cham provinces. CAC has also connected the Indian firms with reliable local traders to facilitate potential business partnerships.
The Indian Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia has also shown growing interest in engaging with CAC to negotiate the procurement of raw cashews. Historically, India has been reluctant to match the higher prices offered by Vietnam, but it acknowledges that Cambodian cashews command a premium compared to those from West Africa.
Earlier this year, India imported around 3,000 tons of the M23 cashew variety from Cambodia at a price comparable to Vietnamese offers. The shipment was sent to Gujarat, one of India’s major cashew processing hubs. The recent meetings between CAC and the eight foreign companies may signal a potential shift in regional trade patterns and export volumes.
“Our local processing capacity is still limited, but diversifying our raw cashew nut markets is crucial to stabilize prices for farmers,” said Silot Uon, CAC’s president. “Whether our buyers are from India or China, we need all partners to strengthen Cambodia’s cashew industry and ensure sustainable transactions for our farmers.”
The discussions mark another step toward positioning Cambodia as a competitive player in the global cashew market, while encouraging greater foreign investment in domestic value-added processing.
