California walnut grower signs deal with Vietnam
“I came back (Wednesday). We did sign a (memorandum of understanding) and I will be going back,” Raj Sharma said in a phone interview on Friday. “We are going to show these people how we do things, with our (farming) technology.”
On his visit he quickly determined that the best crop options were the tropical fruits such as papaya, coconuts, mangoes and guava, but even more so the cashew. He said they are all crops not typically grown in America, but which have a consumer demand – particularly among Asian-Americans.
“I have seen them over there, but they were scattered so you could not farm it mechanically,” said Sharma. “So we will be doing it like we do walnuts here, in rows.”
His work was discussed as part of a global agriculture conference held while he was there on Jan. 6. It was at the conference that he signed his agreement with Vietnamese officials. More than 1,500 attended the event.
“The first time I went, I talked to them and saw what was available. And during the second trip, we signed the MOU,” Sharma said. “And hopefully, we will be able to build a plant where we will have some imports and exports there.”
Sharma has been granted 100 acres to begin his operation, but expects to expand quickly. His initial investment is more than $1 million.
Vietnam is the largest producer of raw in-shell cashews in the world, representing nearly 30 percent of all production, and its exports represent about 57 percent of the U.S. market, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development.
India is the largest processor at 1.59 million tons. Vietnam processes 900,000 tons annually.
He said that business will not only reach back to California and the U.S. in general, but also pierce China and other Asian markets. Sharma has farming operations in six Northern California counties, and is exploring operations in two others.
