Promote sustainable development of cashews

Farmer in Kong Chro district (Gia Lai) harvests cashew. Photo: DUC THUY

According to the Department of Crop Production, there are about 308,660 ha of cashew nuts nationwide, of which the area for harvesting is 290,482 ha, the average yield of 11.9 quintals / ha, the yield of 344,836 tons. In particular, the Southeast is the main cashew growing area with an area of ​​187,490 ha, accounting for 60.74% of the country's area; The Central Highlands has an area of ​​85,265 ha; South Central Coast has an area of ​​35,023 ha; The remaining are the Mekong River Delta and the North Central Coast.

Although recently, the Southeast and the Central Highlands, prices of some agricultural products have been low, cashew prices have always stood at high levels, from 40,000 to 50,000 VND / kg. Many cashew gardens are well fertilized, high productivity, helping farmers to have a stable income. The localities are promoting the construction of intensive farming models, transferring technical advances to farmers such as pruning, creating canopy, fertilizing, preventing pests, helping the garden grow and develop well. Many cashew-growing households in Dong Nai province have an area of ​​over 5 hectares, intensive farming with productivity of 30 to 35 quintals / ha; Binh Phuoc province has about 2,000 hectares, produced in the direction of intensive farming, taking care of the right process to yield from 35 to 50 quintals / ha. Also in Binh Phuoc province, the production linkages are being implemented synchronously in localities in the form of clubs, cooperative groups and cooperatives. The province has more than 70 cooperatives and cooperative groups operating in the field of agriculture, of which, there are cooperatives operating in the form of linking cashew production according to FLO and Organic standards to export to European markets. , USA, Japan, Korea. In addition, the seed production facilities in the province also ensure quality seedlings for production, helping people improve productivity. Accordingly, many families in the districts of Dong Phu, Bu Dang, Phu Rieng … planting grafted rice has an average yield of 3.3 to 4 tons / ha.

Currently, Vietnam's cashew yield is higher than the world average, but still low compared to its potential. Some other limitations are: scattered planting area; farming techniques such as pruning, creating canopy, fertilizing, weeding, pest control have not been applied consistently; The research and transfer of technical advances is still limited and does not meet the requirements; the organization of production, the linkage between farmers, between farmers and enterprises is not tight …

In order for the cashew industry to develop sustainably, in the coming time, ministries, branches and localities should step up intensive farming so that cashew trees can adapt well to climate change and limit the effects of unseasonal rain. The fact has proved, if intensive techniques are applied, cashew yields can increase from 24 to 63%. At the same time, actively replanting and planting new trees to replace old cashew gardens with new seeds, rejuvenating gardens to increase productivity, quality and economic efficiency. But the replanting and new planting should pay attention to the quality of the seed must have clear origin, standard. Along with that, specialized agencies need to research to create cashew varieties with yield, quality, pest resistance, and adaptation to climate change of each region; planning and rearranging cashew processing and exporting enterprises towards deep processing; ensure close links between cashew growers and businesses to stabilize output as well as profits for farmers …

BAO HAN

Source: Nhan Dan Newspaper