Robust International To Establish New Cashew Processing Plant In Ogun State.

Lagos; February 2026: Singapore-based Robust International secures US$75 million financing to expand cashew processing and boost local value addition in Nigeria. Robust International has on Sunday announced plans to build a new cashew processing facility in Ogun State, a move expected to significantly expand Nigeria’s local processing capacity and strengthen value addition in the cashew sector.

In a statement, the company said the new project would enable it to more than double its total cashew processing capacity in the country. Once fully operational, the Ogun State facility will raise Robust International’s processing capacity in Nigeria to 220 tons per day, up from the current 100 tons per day, according to company executives.

To finance the investment, Robust International disclosed that it has secured a US$75 million debt facility from GuarantCo, a financial institution that specialises in providing credit guarantees to support private sector projects in developing markets.

British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria Jonny Baxter said the financing aligns with broader efforts to promote local value addition and export growth. “By backing investment into local processing and value addition, this transaction supports jobs, exports and more resilient agricultural supply chains”, Baxter said. “Through the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnerships and the Developing Countries Trading Scheme, the UK is supporting Nigerian businesses to scale exports to the UK and beyond”.

While the company has not disclosed the project’s start date or construction timeline, Robust International said the investment will accelerate local cashew processing and provide an additional commercial outlet for Nigerian farmers. “The new facility will deliver significant benefits to the local economy, notably through the sourcing of cashew nuts from around 10,000 small-scale producers, most of whom earn low incomes”, the company said. 

It added that the plant will incorporate infrastructure to convert production residues into biomass and biofuels, strengthening the project’s environmental impact. Despite growing investment interest, Nigeria’s cashew processing sector continues to face structural challenges. 

Preliminary estimates from independent agribusiness advisory firm N’kalô, published in an African cashew market bulletin on February 3, show that cashew processing volumes in Nigeria declined by 17% to 50,000 tons in 2025. Over the same period, cashew nut supply in the domestic market increased by 16% to 405,000 tonnes. Nigeria produces between 250,000 and 300,000 tonnes of raw cashew nuts annually, ranking among Africa’s leading producers. 

However, till now, less than 10% of output is processed locally, with the majority exported unprocessed to Asian and other international markets. Export data indicate growing momentum in cashew trade. Cashew kernel exports rose by 40.29% to US$26.851 million, while raw cashew nuts climbed to third place among Nigeria’s top exported products, reaching US$398.135 million in the first half of last year, up 81.15% year on year.

Consequences On India, vice-versa –

Over the years, India have emerged to be the most preferred destination for Raw-Cashew-Processing, with state of the art processing centres concentrating in the Southern State of Kerala, and exemplary Cashew Tasters from Kerala paying a visit to most of the African Countries around February to April for ascertaining the quality of produce – thus enabling the importers(from India) to segregate them per size; contour.

The correspondent, during his professional assignment in these African Countries, have found that from one particular country – Benin (international sea port in Contonue for 03 land-locked countries namely, Benin. Niger, Togo), almost some thousand containers of Raw Cashews are shipped to India destined for Kerala.

Similarly, Burkina Faso; Guinea-Bissau; Senegal (Ziguinchor) are the largest exporter of Raw Cashews to India, although the farthest point from their respective locations.

India happens to be the world’s largest consumer and processor of raw cashew nuts (RCN), importing nearly 80% of its raw supply from Africa to sustain its domestic processing industry. In 2023, India imported over 1.1 million tons of cashews, with major suppliers including Ghana ($241 M), Côte d’Ivoire ($228 M), Togo ($181 M), Tanzania ($118 M), Benin ($114 M), and Nigeria ($92 M) WITS. Imports are growing at a 6-7% CAGR in volume.

The key aspects of India-Africa Cashew Trade remains in the supply of volumous Raw Cashew Nuts (RCN) from major African suppliers to India include Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Tanzania, Benin, and Nigeria WITS. In 2023, India imported 1,185,180 tons of cashews, valued at over $1.35 billion WITS.

Moreover, as demands grow, raw cashew nut (RCN) imports are expanding, with a CAGR of 6–7% in volume and 9–10% in value between 2019 and 2025 APEDA.

While India is a major exporter of processed kernels, about three-fourths of the raw material is imported, as domestic production is insufficient to meet demand.

As companies like Robust International sets up its processing plant in Nigeria – at the heartland of African Countries, chances of such RCN’s trip to India for processing looms.

Suvro Sanyal – Team Maverick.