How to Buy African Cashew Kernels for China

To buy African cashew kernels for China, check where the nuts grew, where they were processed, and whether the actual plant is registered for the product. Under China’s June 2026 route for qualifying African cashews, the nuts must be grown and processed in the exporting country. Check both before you approve a sample, then match the approved processor and lot across the cartons and phytosanitary certificate.

A trader may offer Ivorian-packed kernels and call them Ivorian stock. Ask where the raw nuts were grown and have your Chinese importer confirm which entry route applies. Our China compliance overview explains how supplier and shipment evidence fit together.

Which African origins are worth shortlisting?

Chinese customs data reported about 8,030 tonnes of fresh or dried cashews from Côte d’Ivoire, 3,808 tonnes from Ghana, and 1,397 tonnes from Tanzania in 2025. The historical HS 080130 series combines in-shell and shelled nuts. Use the figures to identify routes worth checking. Request evidence of a specific kernel grade, facility, and export history for your order.

Buying cashew kernels from Côte d’Ivoire

Start with a named processor and ask which plant handles shelling, grading, and packing. Check how the plant records the origin of each raw intake if it serves multiple buyers or sources across borders. Ask it to show a finished lot sourced from Ivorian-grown nuts and to identify who will request the official certificate.

Comparing offers from Ghana and Tanzania

Specify shelled kernels and the intended food use in the enquiry. Ask if the quote is for a local processor’s finished kernels or for in-shell stock to be processed somewhere else. If a supplier proposes kernels from Ghana or Tanzania, ask for the growing origin, the named processor, and its product registration before comparing the delivered price. Ask how much of the quoted grade is already in stock and which production run will fill the balance.

What does China’s cashew protocol cover?

General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) Announcement No. 80 of 9 June 2026 permits qualifying cashews from African countries with diplomatic relations with China. It covers the described in-shell or shelled cashews for human consumption that were grown and processed in the exporting country. Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and The Gambia continue under their own listed announcements. Confirm which protocol applies to your origin, form, and use before you put a supplier on your approved list.

For fresh or dried cashews, ask your broker to distinguish shelled HS 080132 from in-shell HS 080131 and confirm the China tariff and inspection codes. Ask separately about roasted, salted, or otherwise prepared products and cashew paste. Product form can change the customs classification and which requirements apply. Identify the product as it will be declared and loaded.

Announcement No. 80 calls for the exporting authority to inspect and recommend qualifying establishments and for GACC to register them before their products can be exported under the protocol. Search the relevant official list and check the plant’s name, address, and product scope. Use our GACC supplier verification guide to compare the record against the commercial offer.

What should match on the packages and certificate?

Review a photo or proof of the carton marks before the packing run. Under Announcement No. 80, each package needs the required China destination marking and traceable details in Chinese or English, including the product, origin, processing firm, Chinese registration number, and exporter information. Confirm the packaging material and format with the supplier and your broker before ordering cartons.

The exporting authority issues the phytosanitary certificate for a consignment that meets the inspection and quarantine requirements. Have your Chinese importer and exporter check the exact additional declaration in the notice, including the processing firm and its Chinese registration number. If treatment is required, confirm how the authority will record it. Keep your separate quality report with the lot and reconcile the official certificate, packing list, and entry data before dispatch.

How do you handle a lot assembled from two countries?

Imagine a Côte d’Ivoire processor reserves 800 cartons for your order. Its packing list shows that 600 cartons came from Ivorian-grown nuts, and 200 came from raw nuts grown elsewhere and shelled on the same line. For an order under Announcement No. 80, put the mixed allocation on hold. Have the processor document whether the two streams stayed segregated and whether the 600 cartons can be identified independently. Confirm the revised consignment with your importer and the exporting authority before authorizing loading.

Give the supplier separate conditions for commercial quality and entry eligibility. Agree the kernel size, colour, defects, moisture, and breakage limits. Then agree who can authorize changes to the growing source or processing site. A shipment can meet your grade and still need to be held if the origin records, labels, or certificate do not match.

Ask the plant for its dispatch tally by finished lot and the sealed sample it retained for each lot. If your contract covers several grades, check the tally against the grade on the invoice and the carton marks. Give your receiving warehouse the approved list and agree where to hold any cartons that arrive with damaged labels or an unfamiliar lot code.