Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam will need to import more than 300,000tonnes of raw cashew nuts in the remaining months of the year for processing tomeet the demand of importers, according to processing companies.

Cao Thuc Uy, CEO of Cao Phat Co Ltd, one of the country’sleading cashew processors and exporters, said last year, 1.3 million tonnes ofraw materials were imported.

In the first eight months of this year, 825,000 tonnes wereimported, mostly from West African countries.

“If the export volume this year is equal to that of lastyear, we will need to import 300,000 tonnes,” Uy said.

Vietnam exported 353,000 tonnes of processed cashew nuts lastyear. Four kilogrammes of raw cashew yield a kilogramme of nuts.

In the first eight months of this year, 242,000 tonnes havebeen exported.

At a recent international cashew conference, Africansuppliers said their inventories were still very high.

Uy and other Vietnamese processors said they could buy theraw cashew but only if they meet standards. They complained about the qualityof African materials, saying the quality is often lower than stated incontracts, and they incur losses as a result.

“We need high-quality products,” Uy said.

Pham Van Cong, President of the Vietnam Cashew Association(Vinacas), said next year the association would use Vietnam National StandardTCVN:2018 for imports of raw cashew.

It is expected to be a basis for Vietnamese companies andforeign raw cashew suppliers to trade and deal with trade disputes if any, hesaid.

Accordingly, from next year, imports must meet certainrequirements such as grading, sensory requirements, physical properties andfood safety.

Adama Coulibaly, Director General of the Ivory Coast’s Cashewand Cotton Council, said his country produced over 710,000 tonnes of raw cashewnuts last year, but only processed about 178,000 tonnes.

It wanted to cooperate with Vinacas to develop its cashewsector, he said.

Nguyen Minh Hoa, Vice President of Vinacas, was quoted by theInternational Nut and Dried Nut Council as saying global raw cashew outputwould continue rising, especially in east and west Africa.

“Global output is forecast to reach 3.8-4 million tonnes by2020. Four million tonnes may be the saturation point for the global cashewconsumption market.”

Vietnam is the global leader in cashew processing andtechnology and also the largest raw cashew importer, accounting for a third of globaloutput.-VNS/VNA