Cashew nut yields decline in Manaung Twsp

By DMG 22 Apr 2022

DMG Newsroom
22 April 2022, Manaung 

Cashew trees planted in Arakan State’s Manaung Township have seen declining yields this year, according to cashew nut farmers.

This year, cashew nuts are fetching prices as high as K3,000 per viss, but yields are lower than last year, said U Kyaw Tin Aung, a cashew nut farm owner in Manaung Township.

“Cashew nut prices are higher than last year, but the yield is not good. The cashew nuts are often cracked. Owners of cashew nut farms would be very troubled if they had to sell the crops at the same price as in previous years,” he added.

Cashew nut yields this year may have declined due to weather conditions, the cashew farmers said. Cashews are harvested in March and April, and this year’s crops were reportedly damaged by heavy rains.

Daw Ma Ngel, owner of a cashew nut farm in Manaung Township, said many like herself were up against the prospect of facing losses this year. 

“When it rained, the cashew nuts got rained on and had to be thrown away. My cashew nut farm produces over 100 viss of cashew nuts a year. This year my farm has not yet harvested 30 viss of cashew nuts,” she told DMG.

Cashew nuts produced in Manaung Township are mainly exported to China and Thailand, where much transborder commerce over the past two years has been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. There are more than 600 acres of cashew nut farms in Manaung Township.