The Czech Republic largely depends on cashew imports to meet domestic demand. Its moderate continental climate with cold, snowy winters and warm summers limits cashew production. Rainfall in most parts of the country is between 500mm and 800mm per year while temperatures range from 0°C to 20°C.
Cashews in the Czech Republic are mainly sold in supermarkets. Majority of consumers in the country are found in the cities of Prague, Brno and Ostrava. Smaller retail outlets, wholesale markets and specialty food stores trade in smaller quantities of cashews.
Cashew Nuts Price in Czech Republic
Imports of cashews in Czech Republic were worth about 24 million US Dollars in 2022. Even though it’s a slight drop from the previous year, it is the other record high value. The sharpest climb was from 2014 to 2015 when the import value rose from about 10 million US Dollars to around 13 million US Dollars.
Here are the total values in import of cashews in Czech Republic between 2013 and 2022.
Cashew Nut Price per kg in Czech Republic
The cost of a kilo of cashews in Czech Republic can be between 150 Czech Korunas (U7 dollars) and 200 Czech Korunas (US9 dollars). This is based on the average import price per kg. This wholesale price has gone as high as 250 Czech Korunas (US10 dollars) in the recent past.
Retail prices of shelled cashews differ from trader to traders. Czechs can buy imported cashews for most part of the year because they are sourced from several nations. Market timing also determines the price range as late season cashews get a premium over early season cashews.
Whole cashew kernels are more valuable than broken pieces. While those that are white or pale ivory in color are preferred to than coloured or burnt ones.
Cashew in Czech Republic
Czech Republic brings in more shelled cashews than in-shell cashews. A greater quantity of these cashews are processed either in Vietnam or India. These two countries are known for their massive cashew processing industries. Not only do they process their own cashew nuts but also those grown in several countries in Africa.
Cashew imports have to first go through the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic. They are then tested using certain food safety protocols set by the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA). The government of Czech Republic sets the requirements for importers of food products like cashews through the Ministry of Agriculture.
Cans or polythene bags of cashews must be labeled according to guidelines determined by CAFIA. All foreign language labeling must be translated into the Czech language. Stick-on labels in Czech are widely used on imported cashews.
Labels must include the following information:
- Name of product and its product category
- Name and address of producer and importer
- Brand or trademark
- Country of origin
- Type of cashew and grade
- Storage instructions and temperature requirements
- Net weight in grams or kilograms and number of cashews per can or polythene bag
- Nutritional information
- Shelf life
- Date of packing
Cashew Nuts Czech Republic
Many Czechs like eating cashew kernels. Getting to the edible part of a cashew nut is quite a process. Besides a hard outer shell and another thin skin, a kernel is covered by cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL). CNSL is a dark brown liquid that causes skin irritation.
The five steps involved in extracting a cashew kernel are:
- Shelling: removal of the outer shell and CNSL
- Peeling: removal of the testa
- Grading: into different sizes and colours according to standard grading
- Drying or humidifying: to a final moisture content of 5%
- Packing: into airtight bags depending on the scale of the operation