Cashew harvest season

During this season, traveling along provincial roads DT.720, DT.717, or on National Highway 55 from Song Phan commune, Ham Tan district to Da Mi commune, Ham Thuan Bac district, you will catch a faint scent of cashew blossoms wafting in the wind.

Here and there, we'll see farmers transporting harvested cashew nuts from their fields on motorbikes. In Tánh Linh and Đức Linh districts, besides rubber trees being the main crop, cashew trees are still on the list of planned crops because they provide high income. In recent years, the agricultural extension program has intensified support for high-quality cashew varieties to help people improve their cashew orchards. High-yield cashew varieties have gradually replaced the old, low-yield, small-nut varieties that were not economically efficient. Mr. Lê Hiếu, who owns a cashew orchard of over 2 hectares in Đức Phú commune (Tánh Linh), said: "Seven years ago, my family bought high-yield cashew varieties to plant alongside the old cashew trees, planting them in high-altitude areas where some other crops couldn't survive. The new varieties produce large nuts with yields of 1.5 – 2.5 tons/ha, and the price of the new cashew nuts is also higher than the old varieties because the kernels are larger and the shells are thinner, so they are very popular in the market." This year, the cashew trees bloomed early, so the fruit ripened by the Lunar New Year. Thanks to the income from cashew nuts, many households were able to spend more comfortably during the holiday...

The new high-yield rice varieties are providing farmers in the districts with high incomes.

According to Mr. Mai Tri Man, Deputy Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Tanh Linh district, the district currently has nearly 6,000 hectares of cashew trees, an increase of 1.5 hectares compared to 2020. In previous years, unseasonal rains significantly affected cashew yields. This year, unseasonal rains have not appeared, so many cashew growing areas have good fruit setting and no flower burn. For nearly 7 years, the provincial and district agricultural extension services have assisted farmers in applying new, high-quality cashew varieties that are resistant to some diseases, resulting in a positive improvement in cashew production in Tanh Linh. According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total cashew area in the province is currently estimated at about 20,000 hectares. Due to some areas still having old cashew varieties, the yield and productivity are still low, and the quality of the cashew kernels is not as good as the new varieties, so the selling price is also lower.

In Ham Thuan Bac district, specifically in Da Mi and La Da, or in Gia Huynh, Suoi Kiet, Duc Phu, and La Ngau (Tanh Linh), and Sung Nhon, Da Kai, and Duc Hanh (Duc Linh), the soil and climate are suitable for cashew trees, resulting in higher cashew yields compared to some other areas. Ms. Hoang Thi Nga from Gia Huynh said: "The price of cashews at the beginning of the season is fluctuating between 22,000 and 25,000 VND/kg. This is the price given by traders, as the price from companies specializing in importing cashews is not yet official. This year, cashews are harvested early in Binh Thuan, so farmers with the means are not selling their produce but are storing it, waiting for prices to rise…"

Source