World prices for cashew nuts were 5.4% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier, the regional central bank BCEAO said in its September economic report. Guinea-Bissau charges raw cashew exports a 9% special tax on a fixed reference price of $1,050 (€943) per metric ton under its 2026 budget, so the levy stays at $94.50 (€84.9) a ton whatever the market price.
Analysis: The levy is calculated on a fixed reference price, so a rise in world cashew prices does not increase the tax charged per ton. Exports of about 230,000 tons by September 22 would imply approximately $21.7mn (€19.5mn) from this tax, by our calculation, assuming the stated levy applies to those volumes. Cashew represented roughly 90% of merchandise exports in 2025, according to the IMF. Higher market prices may benefit exporters, depending on their buying and shipping costs, while state receipts from the levy remain tied to export volumes. The 2027 tax treatment has not been announced.
Source: BCEAO, BCEAO, Note de conjoncture économique des pays de l'UEMOA – septembre 2026 (published October 21, 2026), August 2026; Ministério das Finanças da Guiné-Bissau, Orçamento Geral do Estado para 2026 – Lei do Orçamento, 2026; Direction générale du Trésor, Service économique régional d'Abidjan / SE Dakar, DG Trésor, Brèves économiques Afrique de l'Ouest n°644 (25 Sep 2026), citing Ministério do Comércio e Indústria, 2026 campaign to 22 Sep; International Monetary Fund, IMF Country Report No. 26/140, 2025