Robust International secures $20 million to expand cashew processing in Côte d’Ivoire
Singapore-based agribusiness group Robust International has secured a $20 million debt facility to expand its cashew processing operations in Côte d’Ivoire, less than a year after opening its first processing plant in the country.
The financing was arranged by Symbiotics, with a payment default guarantee of up to $23 million provided by GuarantCo, part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group. The facility will finance the construction of a new cashew processing plant in Toumodi with an annual capacity of 15,000 metric tonnes.
The project also includes two new cashew aggregation and storage facilities. A centre in Bouaké will have a capacity of 25,000 tonnes, while another in Toumodi will provide 19,000 tonnes of storage capacity.
The additional infrastructure is expected to strengthen Robust’s procurement and inventory management while reducing the company’s reliance on leased warehouses.
The investment comes as Côte d’Ivoire seeks to process more of its cashew production domestically. The country is the world’s largest producer of raw cashew nuts, but only about 30% of its output is currently processed locally, according to GuarantCo. The government has set a target of processing 50% of domestic cashew production by 2030.
The new project is expected to source cashew nuts from around 1,500 smallholder farmers and create about 510 jobs. According to project projections, it could also generate an additional $79.2 million in export revenues.
The project will incorporate the use of cashew by-products. Cashew shells will be processed into cashew nutshell liquid, while residual shell cake will be sold to a third party for conversion into fertilizer.
Robust inaugurated its first cashew processing plant in Toumodi in September 2025 following an investment of CFA 15 billion. The Ivorian government said the facility was expected to create around 1,000 direct jobs.
The latest investment further expands Robust International’s presence in Côte d’Ivoire’s cashew value chain, as the country seeks to retain more value from its agricultural production through local processing and industrial development.
