Risk of cashew crop failure

Living in the main cashew material area of ​​Dong Phu district, for many years, during the harvest season, Ms. Nguyen Thi Be in Cay Diep hamlet, Tan Phuoc commune has no free time because she has to rush to buy cashews. “At this time last year, I bought an average of 30-40 tons of fresh cashews per day, but now, at most, I can only buy 7 tons per day. This year's cashew price is higher than every year. At the beginning of the season, it was nearly 39,000 VND/kg, now it is 35-36,000 VND/kg” - Ms. Be shared.

Fresh cashew nut purchasing agent of Ms. Nguyen Thi Be, Cay Diep hamlet, Tan Phuoc commune, every year purchases an average of 30-40 tons of fresh cashew nuts, currently only about 5-7 tons/day.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong in Tan Hung commune, Dong Phu district has been involved in the agricultural product purchasing business for 20 years and is also one of the owners of the largest cashew purchasing warehouses on DT753 route, passing through Tan Hung, Tan Loi and Tan Hoa communes. However, according to Ms. Hong, the amount of cashew purchased from farmers is currently insignificant. At this time last year, she bought an average of 7-10 tons per day, but now she can only buy about 1 ton.

Mr. Pham Van Doan's household in Tan Loi commune, Dong Phu district has 1.5 hectares of 15-year-old cashews. At this time last year, his family harvested an average of nearly 200 kg per day, but now it takes 3-4 days to harvest nearly 30 kg. Mr. Doan said he is happy with the high price of cashews but has nothing to sell. This year, the cashews bloom late, but with continuous unseasonal rains, there is no hope for a second flowering.

This year, fresh cashew nuts are priced well, and farmers are very excited. However, the joy is not complete, as recently, cashew trees in the flowering and fruiting stages have been continuously affected by unseasonal rains. According to cashew growers in many localities in the province, this year the cashews flowered and fruited late. In the first crop, the cashews dried up, and people were waiting for the second and third crops, but the continuous unseasonal rains led to the risk of a crop failure in the 2024-2025 cashew crop.

Meanwhile, the cashew garden of Mr. Nguyen Van Tam in Dong Tien commune, Dong Phu district is also not optimistic. Mr. Tam's family has 2 hectares of cashew trees that are more than 20 years old. Mr. Tam shared: "Last year, my garden also had a bad harvest, only harvesting more than 1 ton. This year, at first the cashew flowers were very beautiful, but after a few rains, the flowers and fruits dried up. This is a clay land, so the cashews only bloom once. The whole year we only look forward to the cashew crop, but this situation will definitely lead to a bad harvest.

2 hectares of cashew trees of Mr. Nguyen Van Tam's family, Hamlet 1, Dong Tien Commune, Dong Phu District, have dry flowers and fallen fruits.

The Hoa Phu Clean Agriculture Cooperative, located in Bu Nho Commune, Phu Rieng District, is fortunate to be an area that was less affected by the unseasonal rains at the end of February. Although the 170-hectare cashew orchard of the cooperative members was affected during the first flowering period, it is still generally full of fruit. “Our cashew orchard still achieves productivity despite the unusual weather this year. First, it rains lightly in this area, not falling at the time when the cashews dry their flowers (around 8-11 am). Next, we fertilize and spray pesticides properly. After the previous harvest, we prune and shape the canopy immediately; branches and leaves are composted instead of burned... so we still ensure a yield of about 2-2.5 tons/ha” - Mr. Ha Thanh Thuan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hoa Phu Clean Agriculture Cooperative shared.

The 170-hectare cashew garden of members of the Hoa Phu Clean Agriculture Cooperative still has the potential to yield 2-2.5 tons/ha.

When the cashew tree flowers and bears fruit, it is very good to have continuous sunshine, but if it encounters unseasonal rain, acid rain or frost, the flowers will dry out and cannot bear fruit. In sandy, gravelly, and chicken fat soils, cashew trees mainly produce flowers and bear fruit in one batch. However, the first batch has passed, and unseasonal rains have caused most cashew growers in this area to lose their crops. Meanwhile, in some localities with large areas of red basalt soil such as Dong Phu, Phuoc Long, Binh Long, Bu Dang and Bu Gia Map, cashew trees usually flower in 2-3 batches. Many gardens that flowered in the first batch but encountered unseasonal rains since the end of February have dried up their flowers, so people can only wait for the second and third batches. However, unseasonal rains continue, and the risk of drying out the cashew flowers and fruit is very high. Although cashew growers in the province have a lot of experience and have applied a number of measures to save their cashew gardens, the erratic and harsh weather conditions like this year's cashew crop are unavoidable. The worry of "good price, bad harvest" is looming over cashew growers in the province.

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/4/170274/nguy-co-mat-mua-dieu