The grant of geographical indication (GI) certificate to Binh Phuoc Province’s speciality cashew by the National Office of Intellectual Property has been a strong boost to efforts to create a national brand for the product.

According to Nguyen Van Loi, secretary of the Binh Phuoc Party Committee, cashew has been cultivated in the province for more than 40 years and has become a “poverty eradicator” by enriching locals, especially ethnic groups living in mountainous areas like the Stieng and Khmer.

Getting the GI certificate would be of great benefit to local cashew products, he said, pointing out it would help build a brand for the nut and enhance export of products to markets that demand clear origin.

The geographical indication encompasses raw cashew, kernels, and roasted and salted nuts.

The raw cashew nut grown in Binh Phuoc is firm and dense, 14.5-18mm thick, and has a marketable kernel that is at least 30 per cent of its weight. Each nut weighs 5-6 grammes, meaning a kilogramme has less than 200 nuts.

Roasted and salted cashew nuts are of two types – with and without the inner skin – but without salt in the middle. The fat and carbohydrate content are at least 43 per cent and 23 per cent. The high fat and carbohydrate rates contribute to the nuts’ sweet, fatty taste.

The cashew grown here is unique thanks to the province’s geographical features which are suitable for growing the crop and the accumulated experience of locals in planting, caring for and harvesting it.

The province, dubbed the country’s cashew capital, now has more than 134,000ha under the nut and produces around 150,000 tonnes annually.

It has 200 companies and 400 small businesses specialising in cashew processing.

The province has 75,000 households, mostly ethnic minority, whose main income comes from cashew.

The Government plans to make Binh Phuoc the country’s main cashew-growing area by expanding the area under the crop to 200,000ha by 2020 and building a national brand for the nut.

The province exports cashew products to 25 countries and territories. —VNS