HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment of Binh Phuoc province has warned local farmers not to grow newcashew varieties that have not been certified by the Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development to ensure cashew quality is not affected. 

Farmers in the country’s largest cashewgrowing province have begun to replant old cashew trees since the start of therainy season in summer.

They are planting varieties like AB29 andAB05-08 that have not been certified, saying they produce large nuts and morefruits than existing varieties when they begin to fruit after one year.

The seedlings of the two varieties are ingreat demand now.

But the department said the two varietiescannot match traditional ones for quality or flavour.

Le Thi Anh Tuyet, Deputy Director of thedepartment, said the department is monitoring the growth and disease situationof the two varieties grown on a trial basis by the Institute of AgricultureScience for Southern Vietnam’s cashew research and development centre.

It is also evaluating their quality forflavour and fat, she said.

It has petitioned the ministry to instructrelevant authorities announce the research results soon, she said.  

The department encourages farmers toreplace old cashew trees with certified varieties like PN1, MH54, DP41, andPN18, which are suitable for the province’s soil conditions.

The south-eastern province needs to replantabout 2,486ha this year, according to the department.

Ethnic minority, poor, and near-poorfarmers and those covered by the Government preferential policies, who arereplacing their old cashew trees, are provided with subsidies for seedlings.

Bu Dang and Bu Gia Map districts lead theprovince in the number of old cashew trees that need to be replanted this year-- 241,000 and 197,190.

Cashew farmers have suffered from poorharvests in recent years because the weather has been inclement and their treesare too old.

Duong Van Phong, who has a 4ha orchard in BuGia Map district, said he suffered a loss of about 15 million VND (660 USD)this year after having a poor harvest.

Disease outbreaks had caused yields todecline for the last three years, he added.

The province plans to replant 25,000ha ofcashew trees and plant more than 41,000ha anew under the intensive farmingmodel by 2020.

The cost of replanting is around 20 millionVND (880 USD) per hectare while new trees cost 10 million VND (440 USD) perhectare, according to the department.

Cashew is the province’s key industrialcrop and has helped people in ethnic communities and rural, mountainous andborder areas to escape poverty.

Binh Phuoc’s cashew has been givengeographical indication (GI) certification by the National Office ofIntellectual Property. 

The province has 134,170ha under cashew, ornearly 50 percent of the country’s total area under the nut, and produces150,000 tonnes a year.-VNS/VNA