Trade Promotion Department seeks input on cashew nut policy

Cashew nuts at a local trade fair. The Kingdom is hoping to tap new markets under a new national policy. KT//Chor Sukunthea

The Trade Promotion Department has been meeting to discuss and improve the content of the draft national policy on cashews. The video conference was chaired by the Commerce Ministry’s Secretary of State Reach Ra.

The Trade Promotion Department’s suggestions will be incorporated into the draft policy before it is submitted to the next meeting of the inter-ministerial joint working group. Those attending this week’s meeting agreed on the action plan, implementation process and evaluation methods.

The national policy aims to transform Cambodia into a major producer and supplier of cashew products in the region to serve local, regional and global markets.

It also aims to improve the production and quality of the nuts and cashew products.

Cambodia has half a million hectares of cashew plantations with an average yearly yield of 1.5 tonnes per hectare. The country exported almost 219,000 tonnes of cashews last year, up 8 percent from 2019, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

The ministry says in the first five months of 2021, exports to Vietnam alone surged by 321 percent to nearly 802,000 tonnes, with the rest being shipped to China, India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Thailand.

The new national policy may help exporters enter new markets including Europe, the US, Canada and Australia, where demand is high.

In 2019, 4 million tonnes of cashew nuts were produced globally, with Ivory Coast and India as the leading producers. As well as the nut and fruit, the plant has several other uses. The shell of the cashew seed yields derivatives that can be used in many applications including lubricants, waterproofing, paints and, starting in World War II, arms production. The cashew apple is a light reddish to yellow fruit, the pulp and juice of which can be processed into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or fermented and distilled into liquor.

The plant’s uses do not stop there. In Cambodia, the bark gives a yellow dye, the timber is used in boat-making and for house-boards and the wood makes excellent charcoal. The shells yield a black oil used as a preservative and water-proofing agent in varnishes, cements and as a lubricant or timber seal. Its juice turns black on exposure to air, providing an indelible ink.

Cashews are commonly used in South Asian cuisine, whole for garnishing sweets or curries, or ground into a paste that forms a base of sauces for curries or some sweets. Khmer Times