Deep processing not only helps increase export value, but is also a solution to enhance the value of cashew nuts.
Mr. Ta Quang Huyen, Director of Hoang Son 1 Company, said that in 2024, Hoang Son Food Factory, specializing in the production and deep processing of products from cashew nuts combined with other nuts, will officially come into operation.
With this factory, Hoang Son Food will take advantage of the available supply of cashew nuts to deeply process into value-added products, helping to expand the export market and increase revenue for the Company.
“Hoang Son Food factory has invested in the latest machinery and technology, bringing the highest efficiency. At the same time, the company also built an R&D Center to research and produce products suitable to market needs,” said Mr. Huyen.
Currently, Hoang Son Food Factory can deeply process and produce cashews with more than 100 different flavors, and combine them with other nutritious nuts to diversify products.
Meanwhile, Mr. Vu Thai Son, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Long Son Joint Stock Company, shared that the demand for processed cashew nuts continues to increase. Free trade agreements (FTAs) also actively support businesses to increase exports of this product.
With the FTAs that Vietnam has signed, deep-processed cashew nuts imported from Vietnam are taxed down to 0% in many major markets. Therefore, in recent years, Long Son has increased investment and production of deep-processed cashew nuts and high-quality cashew nuts, helping the Company reach many demanding customers and sell at better prices than the general level.
In 2023, Long Son successfully processed and exported to China roasted salted cashews, garlic and chili cashews, spiced cashews, sesame cashews, honey cashews, etc. At the same time, the Company sold directly to large supermarket chains such as Walmart and other supermarkets.
At the Vietnam International Cashew Conference 2024, Mr. Tran Anh Kha, Acting Director of An Dien Food Joint Stock Company (Andi Foods), a member company of Dan-D Foods Group (Canada), said that since its establishment, the Company has defined its direction as deep processing and product diversification to increase competitiveness in the market.
This is the first company in Vietnam to use the most modern Japanese color laser and X-ray identification and classification technology in processing cashew nuts. The Company's products are manufactured according to FDA, ISO 22000, BRC FOODS, HACCP standards and exported to the US, Canada, China, Russia, Taiwan, Philippines, Sweden, Japan...
Although businesses are aware that deep processing will bring higher value to products, not all businesses can invest in conversion.
Mr. Ta Quang Huyen said that with the same area of 2 hectares, the cost of investing in a deep processing factory can be equivalent to 5 to 10 other raw processing factories. The reason is that the equipment and machinery must be very modern and strict, to ensure international standards for export. Therefore, many businesses do not have enough resources to invest.
According to Mr. Huyen, even if you invest in machinery, you still have to grope your way through every step when doing deep processing.
“It took me a lot of time to seek advice. I had to find out where to buy machinery, roasting and frying technology, and preservation equipment, what machines to buy, and what products I would process... Even though I had many years of experience in processing raw cashew nuts, when I started deep processing, I was like a newbie,” said Mr. Huyen.
Similarly, Mr. Tran Anh Kha commented that deep processing requires businesses to not only invest in factories, but also train a team of highly skilled human resources to meet strict regulations on production processes, food safety and hygiene, microbiological control, factory operation processes, etc. These costs are very large, and many businesses have difficulty with capital, and accessing bank capital is not easy.
Another problem is finding a consumer market, which is also a difficult problem. Mr. Tran Anh Kha acknowledged that approaching a new market is not a task that can be done overnight, but requires prior research and study. Not to mention, partners will also need time to inspect and survey the quality and standards of the product. This preparation time must be calculated in years.
“Many countries in Europe, America... have many years of experience in deep processing cashew nuts. They do deep processing and leave the preliminary processing to Vietnam. So now, when we compete for deep processing, this is really a war,” said Mr. Kha.
Recently, Asian markets such as China, Japan, Korea... have seen an increase in nut consumption due to the development of healthier eating trends. Products produced by Vietnamese enterprises are also easily accepted by consumers in the region due to similar tastes. Although only accounting for about 1/3 of global nut consumption demand, this is a potential market for cashew processing enterprises.
Mr. Tran Vu, representative of AgriCorp, informed that for many decades, the US has always been the number one import consumption market, but in 2023, China has caught up with the US in terms of imported cashew consumption and is expected to surpass the US in the near future. This is a market with great potential that Vietnamese businesses need to focus on exploiting.
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