Vietnam, the world’s second cashew nut exporters, plans to raise total cashew nut shipment volume by 14 per cent on-year to nearly 120,000 tons in 2006 thanks to cashew cultivation area expansions, according to the Vietnam Cashew Association (Vinacas).
The country is expected to produce around 350,000-380,000 tons of raw cashew nuts this year, failing to meet demand of cashew export processing factories, which are all capable of churning out 400,000 tons of raw materials per annum.
To ensure sufficient input materials for operation, local cashew processing firms have to import nearly 40,000 tons of raw cashew nuts in the year from India and Africa. Exact import figures from each country, however, have yet to be made available.
The harvesting time of the 2005-2006 crop will last till the end of June, instead of May as usual, due to unfavorable weather changes, posing a threat of thin cashew nut supplies in a short time.
According to the Vinacas, the country will expand its total cashew cultivation area to 500,000 hectares by 2010 from the current 380,000ha with a view to secure sufficient raw cashew nut for the local cashew export processing industry.
Cashew trees have been mostly cultivated in the southern provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong, Binh Thuan, and Tay Ninh province, where almost all farming acreages are suitable for the trees only.
Among localities, Binh Phuoc is reported to have the largest cashew area of 128,000ha with an annual output of 150,000 tons, accounting for 40 per cent of the country’s total cashew area and 50 per cent of cashew output.
Cashew nut is listed among the ten major farm produce export staples of Vietnam.
Last year, the country shipped 103,000 tons of cashew nuts abroad, fetching US$486 million, down 7.8 per cent in volume but up 11.5 per cent in value against the previous year thanks to soaring prices.
Thirty-eight per cent of the total shipment went to the US, 18 per cent to China, and 11 per cent to New Zealand and Australia each.
The cashew nut exports are expected to bring in earning of US$700 million next year and US$1 billion by 2010, according to the Ministry of Trade.
Vinanet
Vietnamese
