At seminars on cashew and cashew production and processing in the framework of Gold Cashew Festival 2010, scientists, managers said that Vietnam cashew capacity is decreasing gradually.

 Reasons of productivity decrease

As statistics of Agricultural Economy and Planning Institute, Vietnam is the world’s largest cashew exporter and processor. However, Vietnam cashew industry remains limited, decreasing its productivity. In 2009, the whole country’s cashew output was at 300,000 tons meeting only 50% of processing.

The decrease of cashew productivity was from abnormal weather, pests and price fluctuation. Besides, cashew growers did not pay attention to technical application into cultivation.

About 20-25% of cashew area planted prior 1990 offered a low productivity, owing to shortage of technical application. As of 2009, the whole country had about 50,000 ha of old cashew trees. This was reason of decrease of cashew productivity.

Solutions

The above status made Vietnam cashew industry face big challenges, especially shortage of material source. According to the Department of Forestry and Fisheries Products Processing and Salt, material source of cashew now meets only 50% of productive capacity. Import material source in the coming time will face many difficulties because crude cashew export nations plan to develop processing industry to raise its value.

Therefore, with over 400,000ha of cashew, it is necessary to apply technical advances to raise productivity and quality of cashew nut, diversifying products, minimizing risks for cashew growers.

In the speech at the Gold Cashew Festival 2010, President Nguyen Minh Triet reminded, cashew tree brings income for remote areas’ people quickly. For such interests, it is necessary to apply technical advances into the tree. Cashew processors need to work with together to raise its value.

Reported by C.Son – Translated by A.C