Mnong woman brings organic cashew nuts to the world

With a focus on clean agricultural production and developing product consumption chains, the Trang Co Bu Lach organic cashew cooperative in Tho Son commune, Dong Nai province has earned growing recognition, attracting businesses from India, the Netherlands, and Germany to purchase cashew nuts directly from local farms. The cooperative was founded and is led by Thi Khui, a Mnong woman deeply devoted to the cashew tree. With strong faith in the value of hard work, she and fellow ethnic minority farmers have transformed barren cashew gardens into organic raw material areas and successfully brought local cashew nuts to the international market.

Director of Trang Co Bu Lach organic cashew cooperative Thi Khui signs cashew purchase agreement with a representative of Intersnack Vietnam Co., Ltd. Photo: Thanh Nga

At the 1st Dong Nai Patriotic Emulation Congress for the 2025–2030 period, Thi Khui was honored as one of the province’s outstanding role models.

Finding a new direction for cashew cultivation

When we met him, Dieu Krah, a farmer from Hamlet 5, Tho Son commune, was hoeing weeds around newly planted cashew trees. He said: “Doing organic farming means we have to work like this, where weeds grow, we hoe them right away, and we definitely don’t use chemical fertilizers. It’s tiring, but it’s good for the soil and ensures our cashews meet the cooperative’s standards for export. Everyone is happy about that.”

Dieu Krah’s words reflect the shared mindset of nearly 200 members of the Trang Co Bu Lach organic cashew cooperative. Since participating in the cooperative, local cashew farmers in the Trang Co Bu Lach area in particular and Tho Son commune in general, have gradually embraced the concept of organic agriculture. Instead of spraying pesticides and herbicides as before, they now care for their cashew trees meticulously: hand-weeding and selecting suitable organic fertilizers. On the same land, they prune and shape the cashew trees while intercropping with nhip leaves or coffee plants to increase family income. According to Dieu Se, a cooperative member, organic cashews fetch higher prices while protecting the soil and the environment, improving people’s health. Many households here have now switched to organic farming.

At 40 years old, Thi Khui has spent her life in Hamlet 5, Tho Son commune, home to the famous Bu Lach grassland and where most families grow cashews. Like other Mnong people, her family relied on cashew farming for a living. However, facing poor harvests and fluctuating prices, she decided to encourage fellow villagers to change cultivation methods and find a unique, sustainable path for cashews. In 2017, she established an organic cashew farming group.

After five years of operation, in 2022, the group evolved into the Trang Co Bu Lach organic cashew cooperative, now with nearly 200 members. The cooperative’s guiding principle is to promote clean agriculture and bring clean cashew products to consumers.

“From just a few dozen households at the beginning, the cooperative now has hundreds of member households,

with nearly 1,000 hectares of raw material area, including over 300 hectares cultivated entirely using organic methods. This is our cooperative’s initial success and also the driving force for us to keep striving in the coming years,” Khui shared.

Organic cashews reach foreign markets

With the motto “producing high-quality organic and clean products for both domestic and export markets,” Thi Khui has leveraged social media to promote and advertise her products. Her reputation quickly spread, attracting companies from India, the Netherlands, and Germany, which came directly to the cooperative to sign purchase agreements and guide farmers on proper organic cultivation methods.

During a visit to the cooperative, Wim Schipper, Procurement Director of Intersnack Vietnam Co., Ltd., said: “Our company operates cashew processing plants in Vietnam, and we are seeking high-quality, clean cashew sources from the local market. Through social media, we learned about the Trang Co Bu Lach organic cashew cooperative and were impressed by the farmers’ cultivation practices, so we decided to sign a purchase agreement.”

From a humble Mnong woman, Thi Khui has become a role model of determination, aspiration, and courage. Her story goes beyond economic success, it is a journey of intelligence and resilience, showcasing the strength of ethnic minority women in the renewal era.

In the 2024 harvest season, the Trang Co Bu Lach organic cashew cooperative, under Khui’s leadership, produced about 700 tons of fresh cashews, sold at prices 2,000 VND per kilogram higher than the market average. Notably, partner enterprises provided 500,000 VND per hectare in support for cooperative members.

Encouraged by these positive results, many local ethnic minority households have applied to join the cooperative to produce organic and clean cashews. Glad about the positive changes among local residents, village elder Dieu Toi expressed his joy: “Our clean cashews are now in demand by both domestic and foreign businesses, so everyone is very excited. People are encouraging each other to change their farming practices and develop together.”

On the red basalt land of Dong Nai, cashew trees have long been a familiar crop for generations of Mnong people. But with her innovative thinking and creative approach, Thi Khui has turned the cashew nut into a “golden seed,” bringing prosperity to local farmers and elevating the reputation of the province’s signature agricultural product.

Today, besides producing the organic cashews, Thi Khui and cooperative members also dedicate time to searching for and cultivating traditional high-yield cashew varieties to supply quality seedlings for local farmers.

By Thanh Nga – Translated by M.Nguyet, Thu Ha