Vietnamese farmers expect higher profits with CPTPP trade agreement

At least $40 billion worth of export turnover from farm produce in 2018 is within reach, some experts believe. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, director of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, said that with CPTPP (which is essentially the old TPP without the US), Vietnamese farmers will receive benefits because technical barriers and requirements on imports are not as high compared with the former TPP that included US participation.

Vietnam’s farm produce export turnover was $36 billion last year. A $40 billion export turnover is quite within reach this year, though farmers have higher expectations Tuan believes that Vietnam’s wooden furniture, seafood, coffee, pepper, cashew nut and rice products will have better opportunities to enter Australia, Canada, Mexico and Japan.  However, animal husbandry will have to compete with imports from CTPP countries, especially beef, pork, chicken and dairy products, because of the tariff removal.

FTAs facilitate trade liberalization with tariff removals. However, tariff barriers are still used by member countries to protect some of their important business fields. Japan, for example, wants to protect its rice production, while Latin American countries want to ‘play for time’ in opening rice and fruit markets. “We are ready for a field in which there are many big players and we have to follow the rules of the game,” Tuan said.

Minister of Agriculture Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that Vietnam’s farm produce is exported to 180 countries and territories. With the CPTPP, Vietnam would have a large market with 500 million consumers and 14 percent of the global GDP. “Vietnam’s farm produce export turnover was $36 billion last year. A $40 billion export turnover is quite within reach this year, though farmers have higher expectations,” Cuong said.

Do Ha Nam, chair of Intimex, one of the largest Vietnamese farm produce exporters, is optimistic about Vietnam’s produce exports in the CPTPP period, saying that Vietnam has no match among CPTPP members in the field. Vietnam exports mostly raw farm produce. Processed products such as instant coffee and cashew nuts bear high tax rates of 20-40 percent. But in the future, when the tariff is cut to zero percent, Vietnamese enterprises will focus on making processed products rather than raw materials to earn more money.

Tran Van Linh, chair of Thuan Phuoc Seafood & Trade, however, was cautious when talking about the benefits of the CPTPP. He said Vietnamese enterprises will be able to benefit from the tax cuts, but “this will not be too much”. “Once the tariff is cut to zero percent, foreign importers will surely force the prices down,” he explained.

Source:http://english.vietnamnet.vn/

Ghana to stop exporting raw materials – Osafo Marfo

Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo, Senior Minister, has hinted at plans by government to halt the export of raw materials from Ghana to enrich other economies. “There will be no export of raw materials from this country. Government is determined that we are going to have value addition to our raw materials to create employment for our own people,” he said.

Mr. Marfo said this on Thursday at Batsona during the inauguration of the Tema West Municipal Assembly which was carved out of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA).

Observing the effects that the exported raw materials has had on Ghana, he said, “We cannot have a situation in which our raw materials are used to create employment for people elsewhere whilst our people live in poverty.”

He said, “We want jobs for our people. The number one problem we have in Ghana today is unemployment, but we always export our raw materials unprocessed for them to process which brings a lot of revenue and create jobs for their people.”

“So government has resolved that it won’t allow the export of these materials without adding value to them here in Ghana”.

He said some countries had such a law, and that the government was currently looking at a draft legislation which would demand that all raw materials in Ghana should be processed before exported.

Source:https://www.ghanaweb.com

Ghana to stop exporting raw materials – Osafo Marfo

Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo, Senior Minister, has hinted at plans by government to halt the export of raw materials from Ghana to enrich other economies. “There will be no export of raw materials from this country. Government is determined that we are going to have value addition to our raw materials to create employment for our own people,” he said.

Mr. Marfo said this on Thursday at Batsona during the inauguration of the Tema West Municipal Assembly which was carved out of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA).

Observing the effects that the exported raw materials has had on Ghana, he said, “We cannot have a situation in which our raw materials are used to create employment for people elsewhere whilst our people live in poverty.”

He said, “We want jobs for our people. The number one problem we have in Ghana today is unemployment, but we always export our raw materials unprocessed for them to process which brings a lot of revenue and create jobs for their people.”

“So government has resolved that it won’t allow the export of these materials without adding value to them here in Ghana”.

He said some countries had such a law, and that the government was currently looking at a draft legislation which would demand that all raw materials in Ghana should be processed before exported.

Source:https://www.ghanaweb.com

Cashew firms temporarily halt African imports

Speaking at a conference to review the cashew sector’s performance last year and discuss the year ahead in HCM City on Tuesday, Dang Hoang Giang, Vinacas deputy chairman, said cashew prices in Africa went up by 30 – 40 per cent to a record US$1,956 per tonne on average last year, while processed cashew prices rose by only 10-15 per cent in the global market. In the first two months of this year raw cashew prices have increased to $2,000 per tonne, even to $2,100 in Ivory Coast, he said.

If Vietnamese cashew processors buy the nut at these prices they would suffer losses, Nguyen Duc Thanh, the association chairman, said. He said last year due to a reduction in domestic cashew output, the industry imported over 1.3 million tonnes for processing for export, the highest ever. Viet Nam imported nuts from 32 countries and territories, mainly from the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, and Cambodia, he said.

Domestic cashew output this year is forecast to be higher than last year at 400,000 tonnes compared to 250,000 tonnes last year. Ta Quang Huyen, chairman of Hoang Son 1 Company, said with higher local output, importers might only need to buy 950,000 to one million tonnes of raw cashew this year.

Besides, supply from Cambodia would also increase significantly this year, helping reduce reliance on African sources, he said. Amid the volatile raw material situation, the association and its members have agreed to shift from quantity to quality by raising the value of cashew nuts with deep processing and developing the domestic market.

Cashew export revenues are expected to be around $3 billion this year, a year-on-year fall of $500 million, Thanh said. Firms would face losses if they buy raw cashew at such high prices to fulfil the target export of $4 billion this year, he added.

Currently the association is working with the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to develop cashew-growing areas and increase output to one million tonnes in the next 10 years. Vinacas would provide cashew seedlings and technical support, and buy the entire output, he said. At the conference, the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, called for Vietnamese businesses to invest in the cashew sector in his country.

In Viet Nam, domestic cashew output meets only 20 -35 per cent of demand. The country has been the world’s largest cashew producer and exporter for many years, accounting for 60 per cent of the global market share.

Source:http://english.vietnamnet.vn/

Vietnam will be the world's top exporter for 12 consecutive years

The Vietnam Cashew Association (Vinacas) is aiming to hold the world's top export item for 12 consecutive years. It is quite possible that in 2016, Vietnam's cashew industry will continue to hold the leading position in the world, accounting for 50% of processed cashew and over 60% of global cashew nut.

Nguyen Duc Thanh - Chairman of Vinacas, said at the press conference of the International Conference in Vietnam in 2017, in Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of 3.11.

According to Vinacas, in 2016 domestic cashew processing enterprises processed 1.5 million tons of raw cashew nuts, exported over 348,000 tons of cashew nuts and exported $ 3.1 billion (including $ 2.84 billion cashew nuts, the rest are by-products of the thing). Export value ranked second in Vietnam's five major export commodities including coffee, cashew, vegetables, rice and pepper.

2016 is the 11th year in a row Vietnam cashew nut is the world's leading cashew nut exporter. In 2017, according to the Center for Industry and Commerce, exports of cashews increased both in quantity and value compared to 2016. Specifically, in the first 10 months of the domestic industry reached 294,000 tons and 2.94 billion USD, up 0.4% in volume and up 25.6% in value over the same period in 2016.

The United States, the EU and China have maintained the three biggest cashew import markets of Vietnam, accounting for 35%, 25% and 15% respectively of cashew nut exports.

Earlier, at the Sustainable Farming Conference last October, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh, head of the sustainable cashew project, said that the cashew industry in the country has never seen such a difficult situation. In the summer of 2017, yields and yields fell, although the statistics were not accurate.

This means that the processing technology of Vietnamese cashew nuts is very good but also presents a big risk as most of the enterprises have to import raw materials from distant countries for processing. At the same time, there is still a large domestic market where the actual production of raw materials has not met the demand.

Deputy Minister of Trade, 2016 - 2017 has warned about the deterioration of cashew orchard health if there are no measures to speed up crop production, especially when the new season is near. While overseas markets, most competitors are also booming from processing technology to intensive farming.

"As one of the most effective associations in Vietnam, Vinacas and the business community have a responsibility to work with farmers to reduce the risk of climate change, Technical support step by step towards re-farming, intensive farming to improve productivity and stabilize the position of the domestic industry, "Deputy Minister of Business.

Mr. Thanh said that in 2018, Vinacas will continue to go along with farmers and businesses to encourage green production, clean processing, deep processing, development of domestic market and export support to bring total commercial value The cashew nut industry is about $ 3.5 - $ 3.7 billion.

In the export plan, according to Vinacas, despite many difficulties, in 2017, the whole industry still strives to export 330,000 tons of cashew nuts of various kinds with export turnover of cashew nut products of over USD3.3 billion. of which USD 3 billion is exported. This is considered the highest level ever.

"In an effort to overcome the difficulties, in 2017 the sector will continue to maintain market share over 50% of total global cashew exports (about $ 5.5 billion). Vinacas is confident that 2017 will be the 12th year in a row that Vietnam is the world's number one processing and exporting company, "Thanh said.

Organized for the first time in 2008, the International Cashew Conference in Vietnam is the biggest event of the year for cashew industry in the country and the world. This year, with the theme "Talking about cashew nuts, thinking of Vietnam", the 9th International Cashew Conference in Vietnam will be held from 13 to 15.11.2017 in Phu Quoc island district, Kien Giang province. It is expected that there will be 400 domestic and international guests from 40 countries and regions in the world participating in this year's international conference.

The event aims to promote trade promotion, expand trade and develop the market for cashew products; It helps farmers improve their income and cashew processing businesses to develop production and business, contributing to the stability of the sector.

Source: Source: Dan Viet Newspaper

World production of almonds breaks a new record

The global production of almonds has grown by 6% in this campaign. Consumption of this superfood, which is very linked to the production of sweets, is growing every year as an aperitif and ingredient of bars or snacks in the EU, China, or India.

World production of almonds this season reached a record 1.3 million tons, 6% above what was produced in the 2016/17 season, according to the latest estimates of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

This volume, calculated in metric tons of almonds in grain, will allow supplying the growing consumption of this nut, which will have a demand of 1.2 million tons this season, i.e. 4% more than in the past season; hence, there will be around 233,000 tons in stock.

Decrease in the estimate for California

The USDA reduced its forecast for the United States - which mainly produces this nut in California - from 1.21 million tons forecast in August to one million tons because of the lower yields in flowering due to meteorological factors.

Almond production in the European Union stood at 103,000 tons, i.e. 13% more than in 2016/17 campaign, thanks to the boost of Spain's harvest, as the Italy produced similar volume levels as in the previous campaign.

Two weeks ago, Jose Maria Alcacera, a member of the organization Asaja in the National Table of Dry Fruits, told Efeagro they had revised the data of the last campaign capacity in June (which was 56,513 tons, i.e. 23.21% more than in 2016) and concluded it had to be lowered to 52,000 or 53,000 tons of almond grain.

The EU imports 3% more American almonds

The USDA doesn't rule out that shipments of Californian almonds to the European Union (EU), where Spain is the main importer, will rise by 3% and exceed 300,000 tons, thanks to the demand of the European industry dedicated to the manufacture of food ingredients, snacks, and confectionery products.

Australia, the third biggest producer, achieved 90,000 tons, that is 10% more than in the previous season.

Appetizers and healthy drinks with almonds

The report also highlighted the growth of Californian almond imports by China (100,000 tons) and by India (95,000 tons), which exceed the figure recorded in the previous season by 7% and 8%, respectively, and which corresponds to their demand in the healthy eating, drinks, sweets, and snacks categories.

Regarding the world production of nuts, the US agricultural authority stated that it expected production to fall to 2.1 million tons, one million of which correspond to China (-6%), 590,000 tons to the USA (-5 %); 120,000 to Chile (+2.5%); 115,000 to the EU (-1.4%); 113,000 to Ukraine (+5%) and 58,000 to Turkey (-5%).

The USDA included data on pistachio for the first time in its nut report, but only those relating to the 2016/17 campaign (777,000 tons, +50%) and didn't make a forecast for 2017/18.

The USA is the largest producer of pistachio with 407,000 tons. It is followed by Turkey (155,000 tons), Iran (153,000 tons), China (116,000 tons) and the EU (89,000 tons).

Source:http://www.freshplaza.com/

World production of almonds breaks a new record

The global production of almonds has grown by 6% in this campaign. Consumption of this superfood, which is very linked to the production of sweets, is growing every year as an aperitif and ingredient of bars or snacks in the EU, China, or India.

World production of almonds this season reached a record 1.3 million tons, 6% above what was produced in the 2016/17 season, according to the latest estimates of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

This volume, calculated in metric tons of almonds in grain, will allow supplying the growing consumption of this nut, which will have a demand of 1.2 million tons this season, i.e. 4% more than in the past season; hence, there will be around 233,000 tons in stock.

Decrease in the estimate for California

The USDA reduced its forecast for the United States - which mainly produces this nut in California - from 1.21 million tons forecast in August to one million tons because of the lower yields in flowering due to meteorological factors.

Almond production in the European Union stood at 103,000 tons, i.e. 13% more than in 2016/17 campaign, thanks to the boost of Spain's harvest, as the Italy produced similar volume levels as in the previous campaign.

Two weeks ago, Jose Maria Alcacera, a member of the organization Asaja in the National Table of Dry Fruits, told Efeagro they had revised the data of the last campaign capacity in June (which was 56,513 tons, i.e. 23.21% more than in 2016) and concluded it had to be lowered to 52,000 or 53,000 tons of almond grain.

The EU imports 3% more American almonds

The USDA doesn't rule out that shipments of Californian almonds to the European Union (EU), where Spain is the main importer, will rise by 3% and exceed 300,000 tons, thanks to the demand of the European industry dedicated to the manufacture of food ingredients, snacks, and confectionery products.

Australia, the third biggest producer, achieved 90,000 tons, that is 10% more than in the previous season.

Appetizers and healthy drinks with almonds

The report also highlighted the growth of Californian almond imports by China (100,000 tons) and by India (95,000 tons), which exceed the figure recorded in the previous season by 7% and 8%, respectively, and which corresponds to their demand in the healthy eating, drinks, sweets, and snacks categories.

Regarding the world production of nuts, the US agricultural authority stated that it expected production to fall to 2.1 million tons, one million of which correspond to China (-6%), 590,000 tons to the USA (-5 %); 120,000 to Chile (+2.5%); 115,000 to the EU (-1.4%); 113,000 to Ukraine (+5%) and 58,000 to Turkey (-5%).

The USDA included data on pistachio for the first time in its nut report, but only those relating to the 2016/17 campaign (777,000 tons, +50%) and didn't make a forecast for 2017/18.

The USA is the largest producer of pistachio with 407,000 tons. It is followed by Turkey (155,000 tons), Iran (153,000 tons), China (116,000 tons) and the EU (89,000 tons).

Source:http://www.freshplaza.com/