A Golden Cashew Festival – the first of its kind in the country - opened in the southern province of Binh Phuoc on March 20.

Prominent at the opening ceremony were State President Nguyen Minh Triet, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong, Cambodian Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An and Lao Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad.

Cashew nut is one of Vietnam ’s key agricultural products for exports. Since 2006, Vietnam has become a world leading exporter of cashew nuts.

In his opening remark, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Tan Hung said with various activities, the festival is aimed at promoting and honouring the brand name of Vietnamese cashew nuts.

During the festival, the organisers presented the “Golden Cashew” title to 20 individuals and businesses for their outstanding performances in cashew nut processing and export.

Deputy PM Trong took this occasion to grant the governments of Cambodia and Laos each 100,000 high-quality cashew saplings.

As part of the three-day festival, Binh Phuoc province and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) co-hosted a seminar on March 21 to discuss a development strategy for the cashew industry through 2020.

The Vietnam Cashew Association (VINACAS) reported the country now accounts for 37 percent of the world’s cashew nut market share.

To maintain its top position in terms of cashew nut exports and sustainable development, the industry will step up intensive farming and cooperate with Cambodia and Laos to grow 200,000 ha of cashews, said VINACAS.

A number of provinces such as Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai have worked with border localities to expand cashew acreages.

The same day, another seminar was held to seek ways to build up the brand name for Vietnamese cashew nuts, bringing together more than 200 managers, scientists, businesspeople and cashew growers./.