Results of the 2020 cashew harvest will be released this Thursday, the 14th

The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in partnership with Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical (Fortaleza - CE), will publish, this Thursday, the 14th, from 15pm, the results of the Systematic Survey of Agricultural Production (LSPA) referring to cashew in the three largest producing states: Ceará, Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte. The announcement will take place on Embrapa's YouTube channel.

Participating in the virtual press conference will be: Regina Dias, supervisor of Agricultural Statistics at IBGE in Ceará; Elder de Oliveira Costa, supervisor of Agricultural Research at IBGE in Rio Grande do Norte; Pedro Andrade, supervisor of IBGE Agricultural Research in Piauí; and Marlos Bezerra, head of Technology Transfer at Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical.

Generating 250 direct and indirect jobs, cashew cultivation is a vital activity for Brazil, especially due to the fact that its harvest occurs primarily in the second half of the year, that is, in the off-season of annual subsistence crops.

Cashew production in Ceará

Unlike 2019, rains in Ceará were more regular in 2020, favoring agricultural production. According to IBGE, the first quarter recorded good rainfall, encouraging farmers to plant. Due to prolonged rainfall, the harvest was delayed by 40 days. Concern about pests and diseases was constant. Occurrences of cochineal, powdery mildew, chestnut borer, tip borer and strong winds, which knocked down flowers, were recorded.

Still, the numbers are positive. Cashew nuts from dwarf cashew trees showed an increase in production due to the growth in area and yield (534 kg/ha), which was close to that of the previous year (528 kg/ha). According to the IBGE survey, there was a large variation in productivity in the municipalities. Among the largest producers, Beberibe occupies first place, followed by Bela Cruz, Cascavel, Aracati and Fortim.

Table cashew also saw an increase in production, jumping from 11.480 tons in 2019 to 15.157 tons in 2020. The good result was due to the expansion of the cultivated area and yield. The most significant growth occurred in the municipality of Pacajus, in the Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza (RMF), which leads production. Next come the municipalities of Aracati, Beberibe, Ocara and Cascavel (with information from the IBGE communications department).