PALAWAN, Philippines – For Reynaldo and Marynol Barrientos, cashew nuts serve as a vital source of income for many families in the paradise town of Coron, a top tourist destination in Palawan. In 2022, the couple opened Nhol Cashew de Coron, becoming part of the large community of vendors in Palawan who sell various products made from cashew nuts. From cashew butter to sweetened cashew brittles, Reynaldo told Rappler that there was much “prosperity” to be had, especially with the influx of tourists who visit their stores.
“Because of the business, I was able to have my house built and buy cars,” the cashew vendor said in a mix of English and Filipino. Before this, Reynaldo shared that they were barely getting by with their previous fashion boutique that was also affected by the pandemic lockdowns in 2020. It was only until they decided to start selling cashew nuts that they managed to get back on their feet, he said.
In 2023, researchers from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) encouraged the exploration of the cashew apples’ product potential . According to their study, Palawan supplies at least 90% of the country’s entire cashew apple production. Based on 2022 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the country produced 12,376 metric tons (MT) of cashew nuts.
The researchers explained that cashew farmers were only utiliz.
