Workers harvest cashew in Bình Phước Province's Bù Gia Mập District. — VNA/VNS Photo

BÌNH PHƯỚC — Prolonged hot weather has caused cashew trees in Bình Phước Province to wilt at a time when prices of the nut are also low, causing farmers severe losses.

Phạm Đại Số, a farmer in Bù Gia Mập District who owns 35 hectares of cashew trees, said he has only harvested around five tonnes of kernel since Tết (Lunar New Year) in mid-February.

In the next few months he hopes to harvest another 10 tonnes, but the output is down by more than 70 per cent compared to last year when he harvested more than 55 tonnes, he said.

The hot weather has damaged the nuts, he said.

He spent more than VNĐ100 million (US$2,350) in fertilisers and pesticides costs to protect his trees, and so he faces the risk of heavy losses, he said.

“In the past few years the weather has regularly affected the cashew trees in this area, but this year is the worst.”

Hoàng Thanh Thao of Bù Gia Mập District has harvested only 200 kilos of cashew in his two-hectare farm this year, 90 per cent down from last year, due to the extreme weather.

Farmers in Bình Phước are also hit by the lowest prices in recent years.

The nut is currently selling at VNĐ24,000 ($1) per kilogramme.

High input costs and wages are also causing cashew farmers to be worried.

Phan Văn Hà, Deputy Director of the Bù Gia Mập District Agricultural Extension Centre, said this year's crop had been excellent, with farmers taking care against few pests and diseases, until the hot weather arrived.

Cashew yields depend greatly on the weather.

Bình Phước has more than 152,000 hectares under cashew, nearly 50 per cent of the country’s total area.

The localities with the largest cashew growing areas include Bù Đăng, Bù Gia Mập, Đồng Phú, and Phú Riềng districts. — VNS