The Cambodian Cashew Association (CAC) has urged citizens to support local products to boost Cambodia’s cashew production to over one million tonnes in the next five years.
Mr. Suy Kokthean, vice-president of the Cambodian Cashew Association, told the Khmer Times yesterday that Cambodia has already become the king of cashew quality, as no cashew in the world can compare to Cambodian cashews, which are large, delicious and nutritious.
He said that if domestic demand increases, the price of cashews will improve and Cambodia will have no problem finding markets, including strong demand from abroad.
Citing the example of India, he said that India, which was once the second largest cashew producer, has fallen to third place worldwide. However, India still needs almost 100 percent of its cashews for domestic demand, making it easier for Indian cashew producers to find markets.
“If Cambodians come together to support local products, it will improve the livelihoods of Cambodian farmers, benefit local processors and contribute to better health for everyone,” he said.
So, I appeal to our citizens to support local products, even though they are a little more expensive, but our products are pure, unlike imported cashews, which are often mixed with other ingredients, unlike local cashews.”
In terms of production volume, Cambodia ranks second in the world for cashew production behind Côte d’Ivoire. He believes that in the next five years, if current trends continue, Cambodia’s cashew production could exceed one million tons, making the country competitive and potentially the world’s number one producer.
“My expectation that Cambodia can produce more than one million tons of cashews in the next five years is based on several key factors, including the increase in annual plantings due to older cashew trees planted, higher yields, and by 2021, Cambodia will be the number one cashew producer in the world, producing more than one million tons, thanks to good weather, increasing cashew yields, and making Cambodian cashews known to the world.
“So I hope this trend will continue and we aim to reach a million tons, which is sustainable in the long term,” he said. “We don’t just want to produce one million tons this year and then drop next year. We can already see that the output is increasing every year.”
According to Kok Thian, the largest market for Cambodian cashews is still Vietnam, followed by China, which is currently increasing demand for Cambodian cashews. The third market is domestic processing plants, while the fourth is India, which imports unprocessed cashews to create jobs for its people.
For processed cashews, China remains the main market, but Europe is also showing interest. In February, a Turkish investor will open a representative office to facilitate the export of processed cashews to the Turkish market.
He added that for 2025, if there is no severe weather change, exports of unprocessed cashews could increase to China and Vietnam. In addition, exports of processed cashews are expected to increase as many buyers from Europe and Vietnam have already placed orders with factories in Cambodia.
“So 2025 will be the year of transition from exporting wet cashews to dried and processed cashews,” he said.
According to CAC, Cambodia has produced 850,000 tonnes of cashews this year, up 26.8 percent, and exported 815,000 tonnes, up 31 percent. Exports to Vietnam, meanwhile, remained stagnant at 793,453 tonnes.
