Cashew nut exports to hit $3b in 2017
Việt Nam is expected to export 360,000 tonnes of cashews for a value of US$3 billion this year, an increase of 3.4 per cent in volume and 5.6 per cent in value over last year, according to the Việt Nam Cashew Association (Vinacas). Speaking at a meeting in HCM City on January 16, Vinacas chairman Nguyễn Đức Thanh said that global demand for all kinds of nuts was expected to remain high this year because of the widely reported health benefits of nuts. However, domestic cashew processors had not had enough materials to process for exports, he said. Last year, enterprises imported from many countries 1.06 million tonnes of raw cashew nuts for processing for export. The imports, mostly from African countries, represented an increase of 14 per cent over 2015. About 1.1 million tonnes of raw nuts are expected to be imported this year.