CASHEW SECTOR CHAMBER

Governor Cid Gomes announced an incentive to Cashew sector at a celebration in Iracema Palace.

Governor Cid Gomes launched the Cashew Sector Chamber last Tuesday (05/12/09) at a celebration in Iracema Palace.

In his speech, the governor highlighted his personal interest in cashew culture and said that he believed in the sector recovery. Cid Gomes took the opportunity to announce that the state government will support the producers to invest in the replacement of cashew tree tops.

Small producers will receive R$ 600, while medium and great producers will receive R$ 500. According to Adece President, Antonio Balhmann, the institution of Cashew Sector Chamber represents the state government’s interest and priority given to that segment. “Cashew culture is a traditional economic vocation in Ceará and our target is to work jointly with producers and industries to recover the sector strength, as this activity is a strong job and income generator,” he stressed.

The President of Cashew Industry Association – Sindicaju, Antonio Lúcio Carneiro Filho, made a presentation of the current activity status and emphasized that the companies have lost competitiveness, especially for Vietnam and  Nigeria producers. However, he evaluated that Cashed Sector Chamber is expected to contribute positively to find solutions to reverse that situation.

Cashew Sector Chamber is an advisory board linked to the Development Agency of the State of Ceará – Adece, and is intended to support and monitor projects and actions focused on the sustainable development of cashew agribusiness in the State of. The Chamber is composed of representatives integrating the cashew production chain, including production and processing segments, in addition to the public sector.

Ceará has currently 57,577 producers occupying together a surface area of 334,617 hectares. Cashew sector is responsible for the generation of 28,000 direct jobs. Cashew is also a record-holder in export list of the State of Ceará. In 2008, cashew nut exports amounted to US$ 150 million, accounting for 11.46% of total exports, only behind of footwear.