Cashew farming area in Central Highlands shrinks

Cashew growing area in the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Nong and Lam Dong has decreased sharply after local farmers replaced cashews by other crops due to degenerate old trees, pestilent insects and low production.

According to the Steering Committee for Central Highland Region, the area has shrunk by 16,000 hectares to nearly 73,000 hectares as compared to that in 2015.

The sharpest fall of more than 14,700 hectares was seen in Dak Lak province which now has 18,597 hectares. It was followed by Dak Nong whose cashew farming area has dropped from 20,000 hectares to 14,812 hectares.

The committee also attributed the drop to low and unstable prices of cashew nuts, urging farmers to cultivate other crops with higher economic value such as coffee, pepper, maize and bean. 

Amidst the situation, the committee asked the regional provinces to review the current cashew area, while re-zoning off the areas for cashew growing in each locality.  

It has also proposed the Government to support farmers in improving cashew varieties to increase production, while requesting regional localities to provide local farmers with cultivation and care techniques, thus increasing their income and ensuring stable supplies for processing facilities in the region.