Cashew grades for Nigerian raw nuts: nut count, kernel outturn and defect tolerance to agree before a lot is booked
By Sandra Nansbuga
Cashew grades for Nigerian raw nuts: nut count, kernel outturn and defect tolerance to agree before a lot is booked
A Nigerian raw cashew lot is priced on four measured specs, not on a kernel grade name: nut count per kilogram, kernel outturn, moisture and the defective nut rate. Fix all four in the contract, on a sample drawn the trade's way.
What decides the price of a Nigerian raw cashew lot?
According to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Nigeria exports raw cashew nuts with an average 48 kernel yield out-turn, and the council markets them on good nut count, high kernel output ratio, excellent moisture content and fewer defective nuts. Its cashew page lists 19 producing states, a December to June season, about 25,000 smallholder farmers and 325,000 hectares. Replace those adjectives with numbers.
What is a good nut count in cashew grades?
The FAO TECA manual on raw cashew quality, drawn from the GIZ African Cashew Initiative, defines nut count as nuts per kilogram and records a working range of 150 to 240, with the lower number meaning bigger nuts. It treats count as a size indicator, useful next to outturn. Ask for the count on the tested sample, then set the ceiling you will accept.
How is kernel outturn tested before a lot is booked?
Outturn, or KOR, the kernel output ratio, is the usable kernel from one 80 kg jute bag, in pounds: FAO TECA's example is 49 lbs per bag, about 22.2 kg of kernel from 80 kg of nuts. In the cut test the sample is weighed and counted, each nut is cut lengthwise, and kernels are sorted into wholesome, those counted at 50 per cent, and those rejected outright, then weighed. NEPC gives 48 as Nigeria's average.
What moisture and defect terms should the contract carry?
FAO TECA puts the working moisture band at 7 to 10 per cent after drying: above that the nuts can go mouldy, below 6 per cent the kernels dry out and lose weight. It records that a sample with more than 24 per cent defective nuts is rejected, and that the defective rate runs faster than outturn, serving as a first read. Write both as pass or fail terms.
What sampling terms does a buyer write in?
FAO TECA samples one bag in ten on a 30 to 40 tonne batch or one in five on a 15 to 20 tonne batch, and notes a buyer may sample every bag so poor bags are not hidden mid-batch. The mother sample is mixed, quartered and drawn from two opposite quarters to about 1 kg, weighed, with a witness sample kept.
Are cashew grades the same as kernel grades?
No. The grade names cited for cashew, the white wholes and pieces, are kernel grades: the African Cashew Alliance lists W-180 to W-500 by count per 454 g. The Association of Food Industries kernel specification, adopted in September 2023, sets kernel moisture at 3 to 5 per cent, well below the 7 to 10 per cent raw nuts are dried to. Raw nuts trade on the four criteria above, and Nigeria's Federal Produce Inspection Service checks graded produce before export.
Fluna also tracks the Teso coffee push in eastern Uganda and the rail-linked dry ports reshaping cashew routing.
FAQ
Q: What nut count should a buyer accept on Nigerian raw cashew nuts?
A: FAO TECA records a working range of 150 to 240 nuts per kilogram, with a lower count meaning bigger nuts. Set a ceiling on the tested sample, not the whole range.
Q: Is an outturn of 48 lbs per 80 kg bag a guarantee on a Nigerian lot?
A: No. NEPC gives 48 kernel yield out-turn as Nigeria's average, not a per-lot figure. Payable outturn is what the cut test returns.
Q: At what defective nut rate is a raw cashew sample rejected?
A: FAO TECA records that a sample with more than 24 per cent defective nuts is rejected, and that the defective rate is quicker to run than outturn.
Sources: Nigerian Export Promotion Council | FAO TECA | African Cashew | Association of Food Industries | Federal Produce Inspection Service