The raw cashew nut yield from Kampong Thom province accounts for approximately 30% of the total cashew production in Cambodia. This figure is expected to rise once a planned “Cashew Agricultural Industrial Park” development project begins operations.

According to the Cashew Nut Association of Cambodia (CAC), Kampong Thom is currently the most important and largest centre for cashew production in the country, with over 147,000 hectares of cashew plantations. This represents about 21% of the total national cashew cultivation area, which is around 700,000 hectares.

The province is in the process of developing a Cashew Agricultural Industrial Park, aimed at boosting processing, job creation and strengthening the production of processed cashew products for export.

CAC president Uon Silot told The Post on October 8 that Kampong Thom currently holds the title of “Cashew King” of Cambodia. On average, the province yields about 1.5 tonnes per hectare per annum, enabling it to harvest more than 220,000 tonnes of raw cashew nuts, which equates to approximately 30% of the Kingdom’s total output.

He noted that to encourage cashew cultivation, processing and promote the export of processed cashew nuts, in February, Prime Minister Hun Manet announced the launch of the industrial park project.

At present, Cambodia annually exports tens of thousands of tons of raw cashew nuts to neighbouring countries, mainly Vietnam, This due to limited financial capacity, storage facilities, and processing factories, leading to a loss of potential revenue for Cambodia.

According to unofficial data, in the first 8 months of 2025, Cambodia exported approximately 941,000 tonnes of raw cashews, generating about $1.4 billion in revenue. A portion of raw nuts are exported to China, though much of it still goes through Vietnam.

The CAC reported that Cambodia currently has around 700,000 hectares of cashew plantations, of which 580,000 hectares are producing yields, and another 120,000 hectares are newly planted. On average, the country produces between 800,000 to 1,000,000 tonnes of raw nuts annually.

Silot noted, that as of early 2025, Cambodia had 52 cashew processing enterprises, of which 6 are medium-sized factories (with a processing capacity of 7,000 to 140,000 tonnes per year). The remaining 46 enterprises are small, family-run businesses that do not operate year-round.

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Reporter: Hin Pisei

Publication Date: 08 October 2025

Source: The Phnom Penh Post