Anxious about the cashew harvest season.

In Bu Gia Map district, where cashew trees cover nearly 25,000 hectares, people are anxiously awaiting news, as only a few fruits have appeared on the trees despite it being the peak season.

The recurring theme: high prices, poor harvests.

This year, cashew prices are high, reaching as high as 36,000 VND/kg at the beginning of the season. Farmers are excited and hopeful for a successful cashew harvest. However, at this point, even though the main harvest season has just begun, many farmers share the same opinion: this year, they face a potentially disastrous cashew crop.

The 4- hectare cashew orchard of Ms. Be Thi Tuyen's family. In Cau Sat village, Bu Gia Map commune, Bu Gia Map district, the fruit setting rate is very low.

The 4-hectare cashew orchard of Ms. Be Thi Tuyen's family in Cau Sat village, Bu Gia Map commune, Bu Gia Map district, is likely to fall short of its annual income this year. To date, the amount of nuts harvested is negligible, while the trees bear only a few scattered fruits, with many trees almost completely fruitless. Ms. Tuyen said that during the Lunar New Year, the cashew trees bloomed beautifully, but after the holiday, unseasonal rains followed, along with various pests and diseases such as caterpillars, mosquito bugs, and thrips, causing the flowers to dry out and young fruits to fall off the trees.

"When we visited the orchard, we saw that the trees had dried flowers and dropped their fruit, which was incredibly disheartening. My husband and I have tried everything to save the trees, even spraying them with pesticides four times, but it's still no use. This year, we probably won't even cover our expenses," Ms. Tuyen lamented.

While harvesting and tidying up his cashew orchard, Mr. Dieu Hiep from Hamlet 4, Dak O Commune, Bu Gia Map District, expressed his regret over the loss of his family's grafted cashew trees. Mr. Hiep said: "With the amount of flowers and young fruit we had before Tet (Lunar New Year), we estimated our orchard would have yielded at least 2 tons per hectare. However, after just a few rains, the flowers dried up completely, and almost all the young fruit fell off. Visiting the orchard, my wife and I were heartbroken."

Despite being in the peak harvest season, the cashew orchard of Mr. Dieu Hiep in Hamlet 4, Dak O Commune, Bu Gia Map District, is yielding negligible income. (In the photo ) Mr. Hiep takes advantage of the time to clean up his garden to facilitate harvesting and prevent fires during the dry season.

“From old, low-yielding cashew trees, our family switched to growing grafted cashews. Every year, we take care of them, fertilize them, and spray pesticides 3-4 times during the flowering and fruiting season. This year, we saw higher cashew prices at the beginning of the season, but before we could even celebrate, we were hit with a crop failure…,” Mr. Hiep shared.

According to locals, this year the cashew trees bloomed beautifully at the beginning of the season, with many young fruits, so everyone expected a bountiful harvest. However, after the Lunar New Year, the province experienced a series of unseasonal rains, causing the cashew blossoms to dry up and the young fruits to fall off. Reporters observed many cashew orchards deserted, with not a soul in sight. Only a few ripe fruits remained on the trees, despite this being the peak season.

According to agricultural experts, the drying of cashew blossoms and fruit drop in cashew orchards is partly due to unfavorable weather conditions, but the main cause is pest and disease damage such as mosquito bugs, aphids, thrips, and fruit borers.

Mr. Phan Van Ha, Director of the Agricultural Services Center of Bu Gia Map district, said: The phenomenon of cashew orchards experiencing flower drying and fruit drop is partly due to unfavorable weather conditions, but the main cause is pest and disease damage such as mosquito bugs, aphids, thrips, and fruit borers. To minimize flower drying and premature fruit drop, farmers need to regularly inspect their orchards, detect pests and diseases early, and take timely control measures.

According to Mr. Ha, farmers should spray cashew trees with pesticides at least 2-3 times during the flowering and fruiting periods. Spraying should be done in the early morning or late afternoon. Simultaneously, foliar fertilizers should be used to enhance flowering and fruit setting, and reduce flower and young fruit drop.

Struggling to find a solution

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam's 6-hectare cashew orchard in Thac Dai village, Phu Van commune, Bu Gia Map district, has suffered almost total crop failure this year. After the district's agricultural department conducted a direct inspection of the orchard, they discovered that, in addition to unseasonal rains, thrips were the main cause of the cashew trees' flowers drying up and fruit dropping.

According to Mr. Nam, his family's cashew orchard has suffered crop failures for many years, despite annual fertilization, pruning, and spraying. For example, this year they hired people to spray pesticides five times, but it still couldn't save the crop. "Now, switching to another crop would mean waiting five years for a harvest. Not to mention, switching requires capital, choosing a crop suitable for the soil, and mastering planting and care techniques. In short, it's very difficult!" Mr. Nam lamented.

According to Phan Van Ha, Director of the Agricultural Services Center of Bu Gia Map district: Currently, the district has nearly 25,000 hectares of cashew trees. Last year, cashew yields here ranged from 1-1.2 tons/ha, with an average selling price of about 24,000 VND/kg. This year, despite improved prices, farmers are facing crop failure.

According to Mr. Ha, the recurring cycle of "high prices but poor harvests, or good harvests but low prices," and even crop failures leading to price drops, has frequently caused many households to switch from cashew cultivation to other crops with higher economic efficiency. Based on preliminary assessments, in 2024, people converted approximately 600 hectares of cashew trees to planting fruit trees, acacia trees, and other crops.

“In restructuring crop patterns, in addition to paying attention to suitable soil and ensuring water sources, people need to focus on techniques. The application of science and technology must ensure safety and quality. The production process needs to be responsive to market demands, and contracts should be signed with businesses to ensure product output, avoiding the pitfalls of ‘planting and cutting down, cutting down and replanting’ as has been the case for a long time,” Mr. Ha advised.

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/4/170397/thap-thom-mua-dieu