Cambodia is poised to capture a greater share of Japan’s cashew nut market following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Mirarth Holdings Inc. and five partner companies to promote the import and distribution of processed Cambodian cashews.
As part of the collaboration between the Ministry of Commerce, Mirarth, and Itochu Corporation, Cambodian cashews are now being rolled out at Family Mart, one of Japan’s most popular convenience store chains, which operates 16,320 outlets nationwide.
On September 3, Commerce Minister Cham Nimul met with Taniguchi Kentaro, president and CEO of Mirarth Energy Solutions Inc., alongside a delegation from Mirarth Holdings and representatives of Itochu in Osaka. During the meeting, Nimul expressed appreciation for their efforts in bringing Cambodian products to Japan and highlighted the importance of building strong ties with Mirarth and its partners.
She congratulated the signing of the Letter of Intent between the Ministry of Commerce and Mirarth, as well as the MoUs with five Japanese companies, noting that the agreements were formalised during Cambodia National Day at Expo 2025 Osaka. She also encouraged Mirarth to expand processing to include other Cambodian Geographical Indication (GI) products.
Kentaro said Mirarth is working closely with the ministry’s Export Promotion Working Group, with cashews already reaching Family Mart’s extensive network of outlets across Japan.
Uon Silot, president of the Cashew nuts Association of Cambodia (CAC), welcomed the development, noting that Japan’s annual demand for processed cashews stands at about 10,000 tonnes, mostly supplied by India and Vietnam. “This is a positive sign for Cambodia’s cashew nut export market. Even though Cambodian cashews are internationally recognised for their quality and taste, domestic processing capacity remains limited,” he said.
Silot stressed that the completion of the Agro-Industrial Cashew Park in Kampong Thom province will be a turning point, boosting the Kingdom’s processed cashew exports. At present, most cashews are exported raw.
“Although processed cashew exports have declined, we expect a strong rebound once the Cashew Park becomes operational,” he added.
As of early 2025, Cambodia had 52 cashew processing enterprises, including six medium-sized factories with a production capacity ranging from 7,000 to 140,000 tonnes annually. The remaining 48 are small-scale, family-run businesses with irregular operations.
According to the “Cashew Plantation Areas in Cambodia 2024” report, the country had 580,117 hectares under cultivation, producing an estimated 816,459 tonnes of cashews annually. This places Cambodia among the world’s top three cashew producers.
In 2024, Cambodia exported 793,453 tonnes of raw cashews to Vietnam, valued at $1.15 billion, according to CAC data. With Japan now embracing Cambodian cashews, industry stakeholders believe this could be the beginning of a more diversified and value-added future for the sector.
Also read, Turning Raw into Riches: Cambodia’s Cashew Industry Gets Global Backing
