The major aim of this study was to assess the performance of cashew nuts markets in North Central Nigeria. Category of actors in the cashew nuts supply chain selected for this study include farmers (producers), village agents, merchants and local buying agents (LBAs). Structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 396 cashew nuts marketers selected from Kogi, Nasarawa and Kwara States using multi-stage random sampling technique. Majors statistical tools used in assessing market performance of cashew nuts marketers include descriptive and market margin analysis. Seven major cashew nuts marketing channels and five major actors involved in the channeling of cashew nut from the farmers to the consumers were identified by this study. All participants in the cashew nuts market supply chain studied made profit as revealed by the net margin of N510,034.41, N174,591.25, N627,512.78 and N135,266.70 for merchants, village agents, LBAs and farmers respectively. The profit ratio of 0.18, 0.15, 0.29 and 0.45 for merchants, village agents, LBAs and farmers respectively imply that for every N100 invested in cashew nuts marketing, N18, N15, N29 and N45 were realized as profit, respectively. ANOVA results revealed that the average revenue at the three States was significant at 0.05 level while the Turkey B test showed that revenue was higher in Kogi and Kwara than Nasarawa State. Also the ANOVA results revealed that marketing margin in the three States was significant at 10% level while the Turkey B test, revealed that there was no significant difference in the market margin across the three States at 0.05 % level of significance.

Keywords : Cashew nut, Performance, Market channel, Market margin.