VN cashew sector opposes new pest control regulations

The Vietnam Cashew Association (Vinacas) has complained about a new regulation which orders all imported cashew containers from Africa to be checked at the ports to prevent the Trogoderma SP worm from being spread into the country.

Many companies in Vietnam have to import raw cashew from Africa.

In a recent letter sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vinacas said that the new regulation was costing local companies more time and money.

"While the cashew sector is facing numerous difficulties this year, the regulation is a new challenge for local import and processing firms," Vinacas said.

The association proposed that pest control should be carried out at the companies' stores as previously done.

Head of the ministry's Plant Protection Department, Hoang Trung said that since 2013, they have found many cashew containers imported from Africa to contain the Trogoderma SP worm.

“This is a dangerous worm which is on the list of tightly-controlled pests for many countries," Trung said. "It would cost a lot to destroy this worm. And our export sector would face difficulties if the worm spread in the country. Therefore, we have to put priority to the safety of our agricultural products for export and there's no other way."

A report by Vinacas shows that they plan to import 3.8 million tonnes of raw cashew from Africa this year.