Workers process cashews. Vietnam’s cashew industry has set a lower export target this year. (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA) - Vietnam’scashew industry has targeted 300,000 tonnes of cashew exports at a value of 3billion USD this year, a year-on-year reduction of 50,000 tonnes in volume and 500million USD in value, according to the Vietnam Cashew Association (Vinacas).
Explaining why the sector has cut itsexport target, Nguyen Duc Thanh, Vinacas chairman, said: “We haven’t hadsufficient domestic material supply, and the prices of imported raw cashewswere too high and sometimes of poor quality.”
The focus this year will shift fromquantity to quality by raising the value of cashew nuts with deep processingand promotion of consumption in the domestic market, he said.
Cashew output last year was equal to 50 percentof the output in 2016 because unseasonal rains seriously affected thepollination of trees and at the same time created ideal conditions for diseasesto develop on young buds and fruits, affecting productivity and quality, Thanhsaid.
The trees’ health was seriously affecteddue to disease and pests last year. Therefore, economic and technical measuresare needed to help the trees recover and yield fruits this year, theassociation said.
The association said that localities andagencies should kill pests in cashew plantation areas to prevent diseaseoutbreaks in the next crop.
In the long run, the sector needs qualitycashew seedlings that can adapt to unfavourable weather.
The association also called on businessesand cashew farmers to develop close linkages in production and consumption of“clean” cashew nuts.
Vietnam achieved its highest-ever cashewexports in a year in 2017 with 353,000 tonnes of cashew kernels exported for avalue of 3.52 billion USD, a year-on- year increase of 1.9 percent in volumeand 23.8 percent in value, it said.
Demand for the nut globally has increasedby 10 percent each year and is forecast to rise in coming years.
According to the International Nuts andDried Fruits Council, cashews accounted for the largest market share in theglobal dried nut market and are expected to account for 28.91 percent of themarket by 2021, followed by walnuts.
With exports last year, Vietnam retained amarket share of over 50 percent of total global cashew kernel export revenue (5.5billion USD), and maintained its position as one of the world’s largest cashewprocessors and exporters.
Thanh said the association recently signeda memorandum of understanding with the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries to raise cashew output to one million tonnes in the next10 years.
Under the agreement, Vinacas would providecashew seedlings and technical support and buy the entire output, he said.
Cambodia currently has more than 100,000haunder cashew cultivation, with a total output of more than 100,000 tonnes ofcrude cashew nuts, a majority of which is exported to Vietnam.
In addition, under the sector’s developmentplan until 2020, the Government targets to increase cashew cultivation areas aswell as output, Thanh said.
These activities would help ensure rawmaterial sources for Vietnamese cashew processors and exporters in the comingyears.
Currently, domestic raw cashew nuts meetonly 20-35 percent of local demand. - VNA
Explaining why the sector has cut itsexport target, Nguyen Duc Thanh, Vinacas chairman, said: “We haven’t hadsufficient domestic material supply, and the prices of imported raw cashewswere too high and sometimes of poor quality.”
The focus this year will shift fromquantity to quality by raising the value of cashew nuts with deep processingand promotion of consumption in the domestic market, he said.
Cashew output last year was equal to 50 percentof the output in 2016 because unseasonal rains seriously affected thepollination of trees and at the same time created ideal conditions for diseasesto develop on young buds and fruits, affecting productivity and quality, Thanhsaid.
The trees’ health was seriously affecteddue to disease and pests last year. Therefore, economic and technical measuresare needed to help the trees recover and yield fruits this year, theassociation said.
The association said that localities andagencies should kill pests in cashew plantation areas to prevent diseaseoutbreaks in the next crop.
In the long run, the sector needs qualitycashew seedlings that can adapt to unfavourable weather.
The association also called on businessesand cashew farmers to develop close linkages in production and consumption of“clean” cashew nuts.
Vietnam achieved its highest-ever cashewexports in a year in 2017 with 353,000 tonnes of cashew kernels exported for avalue of 3.52 billion USD, a year-on- year increase of 1.9 percent in volumeand 23.8 percent in value, it said.
Demand for the nut globally has increasedby 10 percent each year and is forecast to rise in coming years.
According to the International Nuts andDried Fruits Council, cashews accounted for the largest market share in theglobal dried nut market and are expected to account for 28.91 percent of themarket by 2021, followed by walnuts.
With exports last year, Vietnam retained amarket share of over 50 percent of total global cashew kernel export revenue (5.5billion USD), and maintained its position as one of the world’s largest cashewprocessors and exporters.
Thanh said the association recently signeda memorandum of understanding with the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries to raise cashew output to one million tonnes in the next10 years.
Under the agreement, Vinacas would providecashew seedlings and technical support and buy the entire output, he said.
Cambodia currently has more than 100,000haunder cashew cultivation, with a total output of more than 100,000 tonnes ofcrude cashew nuts, a majority of which is exported to Vietnam.
In addition, under the sector’s developmentplan until 2020, the Government targets to increase cashew cultivation areas aswell as output, Thanh said.
These activities would help ensure rawmaterial sources for Vietnamese cashew processors and exporters in the comingyears.
Currently, domestic raw cashew nuts meetonly 20-35 percent of local demand. - VNA
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