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Ensuring sustainable development for cashew industry

Update: 10/31/2013

The cashew market has become increasingly active towards the end of the year. In the first nine months of this year, the cashew industry exported 212,000 tonnes of cashew nuts and reached export turnover of about US$1.35 billion.

Vietnam Cashew Association (Vinacas) Chairman Nguyen Duc Thanh said that export turnover of the cashew industry in 2013 is expected to reach US$1.8 billion.

Resolving material source shortage
Vinacas set out targets for total export turnover in the 2013-2015 period of over US$4billion and the proportion of cashew nuts with high added value content of 5-7 percent.
Nguyen Duc Thanh said that businesses in the cashew industry have paid special attention material sources. In fact, export cashew volume in the third quarter of this year reached over 20,000 tonnes. However, due to the lack of material sources, export volume has declined in the remaining months of this year.
Nguyen Duc Thanh also predicted that cashew exports in 2013 would reach an estimated 240,000-250,000 tonnes. Domestic material sources have not met production demand. Therefore, cashew exports have remained unstable.
According to Vinacas’s calculations, to have enough raw materials for export processing in the 2013-2015 period, businesses will have to purchase and import rawcashew nuts of over 300,000 tonnes and 300,000-400,000 tonnes per year respectively.
Former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong said that the cashew industry’s biggest challenge was to import material sources, leading to low added value. If domestic production remains stable, the cashew industry will achieve sustainable development.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the country needed to build concentrated material areas in Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai provinces. In addition, the establishment of center for cashew research and development is necessary, contributing to ensuring sustainable development for the cashew industry.
Investing in technology
According to Vinacas, the country has over 300 cashew export businesses with over 100 processing units. Vietnamese cashew nuts have been exported to over 100 countries and territories in the world, such as the US, China and the EU.
Vinacas General Secretary Dang Hoang Giang said that businesses in the cashew industry have paid attention to quality. One of the most important advances in the cashew industry was the application of science and technology into production. Thanks to the application of automatic machinery and equipment, production and processing have created a breakthrough, contributing to improving product quality, reducing production costs and bringing higher economic efficiency.
Binh Phuoc Province’s Industry Promotion and Industrial Development Consultation Center Director Nguyen Duy Khien said that the majority of export businesses in Binh Phuoc put sorting technology into operation.
Tuan Bong One Member Company Limited (Dong Tien Commune, Dong Phu District, Binh Phuoc Province) was the first company applying sorting technology into production. Together with a total investment capital of VND5 billion and a capacity of one tonne per hour, this technology has helped the company reduce costs in terms of time and human resources, contributing to ensuring safety and hygiene in processing.
Many businesses in Vinacas have actively invested in technology, contributing to improving the quality and diversifying products.
To ensure sustainable development, businesses in the cashew industry need to pay more attention to processing technology to improve productivity and product quality./.
 
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