Sustainable development of Dong Nai's cashew industry
Creating favorable conditions for local enterprises, production facilities, cashew farmers, and scientists to meet, share experiences, and research market information, while connecting product supply and demand with distributors and consumers, was the objective of the scientific workshop "Building and Sustainably Developing the Cashew Industry in Dong Nai City for the 2026 - 2030 Period," held on May 23.
Le Thi Anh Tuyet, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, speaks at the workshop.
Le Thi Anh Tuyet, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated that cashew trees are one of the long-term industrial crops playing a vital role in the city's agricultural economic development, contributing to job creation, income enhancement, and livelihood stabilization for residents in many localities. Following administrative unit realignments, the new Dong Nai City has become a locality possessing a cashew cultivation area of over 176,000 hectares and an output exceeding 186,000 tons, accounting for approximately 58% of the country's total cashew area. This represents a significant advantage to comprehensively develop the cashew industry value chain from production and processing to consumption and export.
However, experts, managers, and enterprises noted that the cashew industry is currently facing numerous difficulties, particularly impacts from global economic and geopolitical situations. Recently, conflicts in the Middle East have escalated logistics costs, shipping rates, and international delivery times.
According to reports, many enterprises exporting to the EU and the Middle East have experienced delivery delays of 2 to 4 weeks due to adjustments in international shipping routes caused by the Middle East conflicts. This directly impacts key export industries, including the cashew sector, as logistics costs currently constitute a large proportion of total export costs.
Vu Thai Son, Chairman of the Dong Nai Cashew Association, shares solutions for building and sustainably developing the cashew industry in Dong Nai City.
Vu Thai Son, Chairman of the Dong Nai Cashew Association, stated that major import markets are increasingly tightening standards regarding origin traceability, sustainable development, carbon emissions, and social responsibility within supply chains. This requires cashew industry enterprises to intensify investment in processing technology, brand building, and digital transformation to enhance competitiveness in international markets.
To sustainably develop cashew trees from a farmer's perspective, Mr. Nguyen Sy Song (a farmer in Phu Rieng Commune, Dong Nai City) with over 35 years of cashew cultivation experience and a yield of 3.5 - 4 tons/ha, argued that changing and rejuvenating cashew orchards with new grafted varieties that offer high yields, drought tolerance, and pest resistance is the key solution to improve economic outcomes for farmers amidst climate change challenges. In addition, the city must have reputable focal entities specializing in providing quality crop seeds so that farmers feel secure when executing variety conversion.
From the perspective of scientists and economists, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nhu Trong Bach, Deputy Director of the Institute of Policy and Development (Ministry of Finance), suggested that Dong Nai should build a cashew cultural-economic space within the former Binh Phuoc province area, placing residents at the core, particularly ethnic minority communities.
In the coming period, to promote trade, market, and build the image of cashew products in digital environments, the Department of Industry and Trade will continue to collaborate with associations/enterprises and the Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion Center to support businesses in strongly applying cross-border e-commerce; accelerate digital trade promotion; and assist enterprises in participating in international e-commerce platforms while strengthening connections with logistics systems, seaports, and distribution centers to reduce export costs.
Delegates share solutions for building and sustainably developing the cashew industry in Dong Nai City.
Furthermore, the Department of Industry and Trade will coordinate with Vinacas, the Dong Nai Cashew Association, commodity sector associations, Vietnamese trade offices abroad, and international trade promotion organizations to support market expansion, regularly update technical standards for timely dissemination, and assist enterprises in directly accessing major global importers.
According to Le Thi Anh Tuyet, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, to sustainably develop the cashew industry, Dong Nai will review and plan specialized cashew farming zones, accelerate the rejuvenation of old cashew orchards, encourage the use of high-yielding varieties, develop production areas meeting VietGAP and organic standards, and increase the issuance of growing area codes and product origin traceability.
The city will promote value chain linkages, support partnerships among farmers, cooperatives, and enterprises, develop specialized cashew cooperatives, and encourage businesses to invest in raw material zones and secure product consumption. Concurrently, it will encourage investment in deep-processing technology, diversify cashew-based products, build and promote the "Dong Nai Cashew" brand, and support the development of cashew-based OCOP products.
Additionally, the locality will organize trade fairs, trade connection events, boost promotion on digital platforms and e-commerce, support enterprises in participating in export markets, and integrate the cashew industry with local tourism and cultural activities.
Tin, ảnh: Nhật Bình (TTXVN)
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/