CAC urges greater national backing for local products
CAC urges greater national backing for local products
Support necessary to surpass 1 million tonne target in next five years
The Cashew Nut Association of Cambodia (CAC) urged citizens to show greater nationalism in supporting local products for Cambodia’s cashew nut production to surpass one million tonnes in the next five years.
Suy Kokthean, Vice President of the Cashew Nut Association of Cambodia (CAC), told Khmer Times yesterday that Cambodia has already become the king of cashew quality, as no cashew in the world can match with Cambodian cashews, which are large in size, good flavour with nutritional richness.
Kokthean said that if domestic consumption rises, the price of cashew nuts will improve and Cambodia will have no trouble finding markets, including strong demand from overseas.
Citing an example of India, he said the country once the second-largest cashew producer has now dropped to third place globally. However, India still consumes nearly 100 percent of its cashew nuts domestically, which makes it easier for the country’s cashew production to find a market.
“I believe that if Cambodians are a bit more nationalistic and joint in supporting local products, it would improve the lives of Cambodian farmers, benefit local processors, and contribute to better health for everyone,” said Kokthean.
“Therefore, I urge our people to support local products, even if they are slightly more expensive, but our products are pure, unlike imported cashews, which are often mixed with other ingredients and lack the purity of local cashews.”
In terms of production volume, Cambodia ranks second in the world for cashew nut production, just behind an Ivory Coast. He believes that within the next five years, if current trends continue, Cambodia’s cashew nut production could exceed one million tonnes, positioning the country to compete and potentially become the world’s number one producer in a stable position.
“My expectation that Cambodia can produce more than one million tonnes of cashew nuts in the next five years is based on several key factors including annual planting has been increasing, as the older the cashew trees that have been planted, the higher the yield, and in 2021 Cambodia was the number one cashew producer in the world, producing over one million tonnes because good weather increased cashew yields, making the world aware of Cambodian cashews.
“So, I’m hopeful that this trend will continue to develop, and we aim for our production to reach one million tonnes, resulting in long-term stability. We don’t want to produce one million tonnes this year only and decrease the following year. We can already see that the area under cultivation is increasing annually as well,” said Kokthean.
According to Kokthean, the largest market for Cambodian cashew nuts is still Vietnam, followed by China, which is currently increasing its demand for Cambodian cashews. The third market consists of local processors in Cambodia, while the fourth is India, which imports unprocessed cashew nuts to process domestically, creating jobs for its citizens.
As for processed cashews, China remains a major market but Europe is also showing increasing interest. In February, Turkish investors will open a purchasing representative office to facilitate the export of processed cashews to the Türkiye market.
Kokthean added that for 2025, the association expects that if there are no severe climate changes, exports of unprocessed cashew nuts may increase to both China and Vietnam. In addition, exports of processed cashew nuts are expected to increase, as many buyers from Europe and Vietnam have already placed orders with factories in Cambodia.
“Therefore, 2025 will be a year of transition, shifting from the export of wet cashew nuts to dried and processed cashew nuts,” he said.
According to the CAC, Cambodia produced 850,000 tonnes of cashew nuts so far this year, up 26.8 percent and exported 815,000 tonnes of cashew nuts, up 31 percent. However, exports to Vietnam remained stagnant at 793,453 tonnes.
