Introduction

Few foods are as loved in Sri Lankan homes as the cashew nut. Kaju curry at a wedding, fried cashews scattered over yellow rice, a handful of roasted cashews with a cup of tea: cashews mark celebrations and everyday treats alike. Yet most people who enjoy them have never seen a cashew tree, and many are surprised to learn how a cashew actually grows.

We grow cashews on our own plantation, and that harvest supplies our Udari Nuts & Spices range: Udari Cashew Nuts, our whole natural kernels, and Udari Oven Roasted Cashews, which we dry-roast in an oven and never fry. Because we grow the crop ourselves, we can decide which trees to plant, how to care for them and exactly when the nuts are collected. Those decisions shape the size, colour and taste of every kernel that reaches your kitchen.

This article explains how a cashew plantation works. It covers the cashew tree and its unusual fruit, the climate and soil cashews need, how a plantation is planted and cared for, the yearly cycle of flowering and harvest, how raw nuts are collected, dried and stored, and the main pests and challenges growers face. It ends with how our harvest becomes Udari products, and answers some common questions.

The cashew tree and its unusual fruit

The cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) is an evergreen tropical tree native to north-eastern Brazil. Portuguese traders carried it to India and other parts of Asia and Africa in the sixteenth century, first to protect coastal soil from erosion, and it has grown in Sri Lanka for centuries. It belongs to the same plant family as the mango and the pistachio.

What makes the cashew unusual is the way its fruit is built. What looks like the fruit is actually the cashew apple, a swollen, juicy stalk that turns red, orange or yellow as it ripens. The true fruit hangs beneath the apple: a grey-green, kidney-shaped nut with a hard double shell. Inside that shell is a single kernel, the cashew nut we eat.

Between the outer and inner layers of the shell is a thick, caustic liquid called cashew nut shell liquid. It contains anacardic acid and related compounds that can burn the skin. This is why cashews are never sold in the shell in shops, and why removing the kernel needs careful processing. Our guide to cashew processing for Udari explains how raw nuts become clean, safe kernels.

The cashew apple is soft and perishable. It is rich in vitamin C and has a sharp, astringent taste. In some countries it is made into juice, jam or drinks, but in most cashew-growing areas it is left in the field once the nut is removed, where it returns organic matter to the soil.

Key facts about the cashew tree

Climate and soil: what a cashew tree needs

Cashew trees are tough. They tolerate poor soils, heat and long dry spells better than most fruit trees, which is why they are often grown on land where other crops struggle. But “tolerates” is not the same as “thrives”. To produce a good crop of large, well-filled nuts, a cashew tree needs:

• Warmth. Cashews grow best where temperatures stay between about 20°C and 35°C. They do not like cold or frost.
• A clear dry season. Flowering and nut setting are most successful when there is a distinct dry period. Heavy rain during flowering washes away pollen, encourages fungal disease and reduces the crop.
• Moderate rainfall. Rain during the growing months builds leaves and branches. Too little water stunts trees; too much at the wrong time harms flowering.
• Well-drained soil. Cashew roots are deep and do not tolerate waterlogging. Sandy and gravelly soils with good drainage suit them well.
• Sunlight. Cashews need open sun. Shaded or crowded trees flower poorly.

In Sri Lanka, cashew is mainly grown in the drier parts of the country, where the seasons give trees the dry, sunny conditions they need to flower. Climate change is making seasons less predictable. Recent news reports have linked unseasonal rain and heat during flowering to lower cashew harvests in parts of the country, which is one reason careful plantation management matters more than ever.

Planting a cashew plantation

Choosing planting material

Trees grown from seed vary widely: some give large nuts, others small, and some bear heavily while others hardly at all. Most modern plantations therefore use grafted plants. A shoot (scion) from a proven high-yielding mother tree is joined to a young seedling root (rootstock). The grafted plant keeps the qualities of the mother tree, comes into bearing earlier and gives a more uniform crop.

In Sri Lanka, grafted cashew plants are produced through approved nurseries, with scion material taken from selected mother trees. Choosing good planting material is one of the most important decisions a grower makes, because a cashew tree will stay in the ground for decades.

Spacing and planting

Cashew trees spread wide, so they need room. Plantations are commonly laid out with trees several metres apart in each direction, giving every tree space for its canopy and roots. Some growers plant more closely at first and thin the trees as the canopies meet.

Planting is timed for the start of the rainy season, so young plants can establish roots before the dry months. Each plant goes into a prepared pit filled with topsoil and organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted manure. Young plants are mulched to keep moisture in the soil and protected from grazing animals.

The early years

For the first two or three years, the aim is to build a strong frame of branches. Growers remove low shoots and badly placed branches, so the tree forms a balanced, open canopy that lets in light and air. Weeds are controlled around the base of each tree, and young plants may need watering during their first dry seasons.

The space between young cashew trees is not wasted. Many cashew growers use it for short-term crops, such as vegetables, pulses or chillies, while the trees are small. This is called intercropping. It gives an income before the cashew trees bear and keeps the land productive. Once the cashew canopies close, the trees need the space and the intercrops stop.

Caring for a mature cashew plantation

Pruning and canopy management

Mature cashew trees are pruned after harvest to remove dead, diseased and crossing branches, and to stop neighbouring trees from crowding each other. An open canopy helps flowering, makes pests easier to spot and makes harvesting easier.

Feeding the trees

Although cashews survive on poor soil, they produce more when they are fed. Organic matter improves the soil’s ability to hold water and nutrients. Fertiliser, where needed, is applied according to the age of the tree and the condition of the soil, ideally guided by soil testing. The goal is steady, healthy growth, not lush leaves at the expense of flowers.

Weed and ground cover management

Before harvest, the ground under the trees is cleared, so fallen nuts are easy to see and collect. At other times of the year, ground cover and mulch protect the soil from erosion and keep it cool and moist.

Water

Most cashew plantations depend on rain. Where water is available, supplementary irrigation during critical periods can help young trees establish and can support nut development in very dry years. Our guide to sustainable plantation management explains how we look after soil, water and the wider plantation.

The cashew year: from flowering to harvest

A cashew tree follows a yearly rhythm.

1. New growth. After the rains, trees put out new shoots and leaves.
2. Flowering. As the dry season arrives, the trees produce large clusters of small, fragrant flowers at the ends of the new shoots. In Sri Lanka, flowering generally runs from about November to March, depending on the area and the year. Each cluster carries both male flowers and flowers that can set fruit. Bees and other insects carry the pollen.
3. Nut setting. Pollinated flowers set tiny nuts. The nut grows first, reaching full size while the apple is still small and green.
4. Apple swelling. In the final weeks, the cashew apple swells rapidly and changes colour. The nut, meanwhile, hardens and turns from green to grey.
5. Fruit fall. When fully ripe, the apple and nut drop to the ground together. This is the signal that the nut is mature.

The full journey from flower to falling fruit takes around two months. Because trees flower over several weeks, the harvest is spread over a season rather than a single day, and fruit falls in waves.

Harvesting cashews

Why we collect fallen nuts

The best way to harvest cashews is to collect the nuts after the fruit falls naturally. A nut that falls on its own is fully mature: the kernel inside is well filled, with the right colour, texture and flavour. Nuts picked from the tree before they are ready may contain shrivelled or immature kernels, which lower the quality of the whole batch.

That is why we collect fallen nuts by hand, at regular intervals throughout the season. Frequent collection matters. Nuts left on the ground for too long can absorb moisture, start to spoil, be attacked by insects or be eaten by animals.

Separating the nut from the apple

Collectors twist the nut away from the apple by hand. Any remaining bit of apple is removed, because it can ferment and spoil the nut. Damaged, empty or immature nuts are taken out at this stage.

Drying

Freshly harvested raw cashew nuts contain too much moisture to store safely. They are spread out in thin layers and sun-dried, usually for two to three days, and turned regularly so they dry evenly. Well-dried nuts rattle inside their shells. Correct drying protects the nuts from mould and keeps the kernels pale and sweet.

Storing raw nuts

Dried raw cashew nuts are packed in breathable bags, such as jute sacks, and stored in a dry, well-ventilated place, off the floor and away from walls. Stored correctly, raw nuts keep for months, which allows processing to continue after the harvest season. Our bulk supply guide explains how raw cashew nuts are graded for quality, including moisture and kernel yield.

Pests, diseases and challenges

Like any crop, cashew faces threats. The most common include:

Integrated pest management combines regular inspection, good pruning, healthy soil and natural predators, with targeted treatment only where it is needed. It protects the crop while limiting chemical use, which matters for the people who work on the plantation, for pollinating insects and for the quality of the final kernels.

From our plantation to Udari

Sri Lanka’s own cashew harvest is valued for its taste, but national production does not meet local demand. Industry reports in 2026 described estimated domestic raw cashew production of around 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes a year, with processors also relying on imported raw nuts. Growing our own cashews gives us a dependable source of nuts whose story we know from the tree onwards.

Our harvest supplies two Udari products:

• Udari Cashew Nuts. Whole, natural kernels, not roasted, salted or flavoured, selected for size, pale colour and a sweet, buttery taste. They are made for kaju curry, biriyani, sweets, cashew paste and snacking.
• Udari Oven Roasted Cashews. Whole cashews roasted in dry heat until golden and crunchy, never fried in oil.

You can find both on our Udari Nuts & Spices page, and our Udari Cashew Nuts article explains how to choose, store and cook with them. Our guide to cashew processing for Udari follows the journey from raw nut to finished kernel, and our article on cashew nut benefits explains what cashews offer nutritionally.

Illustrative example

The following example is illustrative and does not describe a specific season or figures.

Early in the dry season, the plantation team walks the rows each week, checking new shoots for signs of tea mosquito bug and noting how many trees have started to flower. A few trees show blackened shoots, so the team prunes away the damaged growth and keeps a closer watch on that block, rather than treating the whole plantation.

As the first cashew apples turn red and yellow, the ground under the trees is cleared. Collection begins: fallen fruit is gathered every day or two, nuts are twisted from the apples, and the apples are left between the rows. Empty or damaged nuts are removed on the spot. The nuts go to the drying area, where they are spread thinly and turned through the day, then bagged in jute sacks once they rattle in their shells.

At the end of the season, the team records which blocks produced the best nuts and which had problems. That record guides pruning, feeding and replanting decisions for the following year, and the dried raw nuts go forward for processing into Udari Cashew Nuts and Udari Oven Roasted Cashews.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a cashew tree take to bear nuts?

Grafted cashew trees usually give a first small crop around the third year after planting. Yields increase as the canopy grows and generally reach their peak from about the seventh or eighth year.

Why are cashews never sold in their shells?

The shell contains a caustic liquid that can burn the skin and irritate the mouth. The nuts have to be processed, by steaming or roasting and careful shelling, before the kernel is safe to eat.

Is the cashew apple edible?

Yes. The cashew apple is juicy and rich in vitamin C, though it is astringent and spoils within a day or two of falling. It can be made into juice, jam or drinks.

When is cashew harvest season in Sri Lanka?

Trees flower from about November to March, and fruit falls around two months after flowering, so the main collection season runs through the first half of the year. Exact timing varies with the area and the weather.

Are Udari cashews made from your own harvest?

Yes. Our cashew plantation supplies the Udari Nuts & Spices range, including Udari Cashew Nuts and Udari Oven Roasted Cashews.

Do you sell raw cashew nuts in bulk?

Raw cashew nuts may be available to trade buyers, subject to season and availability. Our bulk supply guide explains our bulk supply and the quality checks we use.

Conclusion

A cashew tree is an unusual plant: a nut hanging beneath a false fruit, wrapped in a shell that cannot be cracked by hand. Growing it well takes patience, with years before the first crop, careful pruning and feeding, and a harvest that depends on collecting each nut at the right moment.

By growing our own cashews, we can choose good planting material, care for the trees through the year and collect only fully mature nuts. That care is the first step in every pack of Udari Cashew Nuts and Udari Oven Roasted Cashews.

Want to taste the result of our cashew harvest? Explore the Udari range.

Shop Udari Cashews

Sources

• FAO, cashew cultivation and processing practices in Sri Lanka: https://www.fao.org/4/ac451e/ac451e08.htm
• The Morning, report on Sri Lanka’s cashew harvest decline: https://themorning.lk/cashew-harvest-drops-by-40
• The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka), import licensing delay affects cashew industry (February 2026): https://www.sundaytimes.lk/260208/business-times/import-licensing-delay-affects-cashew-industry-630576.html
• Climate Fact Checks, Sri Lanka’s cashew crisis and climate extremes: https://climatefactchecks.org/sri-lankas-cashew-crisis-climate-extremes-push-farmers-to-abandon-a-once-thriving-crop/
• Sri Lanka Cashew Corporation, annual reports (Parliament of Sri Lanka): https://www.parliament.lk/uploads/documents/paperspresented/annual-report-srilanka-cashew-corporation-2013.pdf