Poor weather, import bottleneck double wha妹妹y for Bình Phước cashew industry

BÌNH PHƯỚC — In Bình Phước Province, known as the country’s cashew capital, processors are unable to source enough nuts because of poor harvests locally due to unfavourable weather and difficulties in transporting them from Africa.

The province has around  一 三 四,000ha of land under cashew and over  一, 四00 processing businesses that export the products to markets such as the US, Australia and China.

Of them  三 一 are able to import raw cashew while the rest are too small for that.

Processing businesses need around  六00,000 –  八00,000 tonnes of raw cashew annually, but the province is only able to provide  二00,000 tonnes, and only  一00,000 tonnes this year.

Đặng Văn Hậu, owner of a cashew processing facility in Bù Gia Mập District, said this year both Việt Nam and Cambodia, another source of imports, lost their cashew crops due to unfavourable weather.

Due to COVID-prevention measures and a shortage of empty containers, it has been difficult to import raw cashew from Africa.

Tạ Ngọc Tuân, owner of another processing facility in Bù Gia Mập District, said he had signed a contract to sell cashew but could not increase prices and had to deliver in time despite the raw material shortage and higher prices or compensate his partner and risk losing his reputation.

According to the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, cashew depends greatly on the weather and yields are poor in case of unseasonable or heavy rains, hoarfrost and too much sun. — VNS