Value Change Analysis of Cashew (Anacardium Occidentale L.) In Wonogiri Regency, Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract

This study aims to accelerate, improve, and increase the added value of cashew in Wonogiri. The research method is by a survey approach with the location purposively based on the center production of the cashew sub-district in the Wonogiri Regency. There are selected five center districts of cashew, of which is observed one village as the cashew center and ten farmers each are taken as the sample. The value chain channel is taken by snowball sampling along with the dominant channel of cashew with key person A-B-C-D by in-depth interviews. Quantitative Analysis Method is applied by using Excel application to calculate fixed costs (FC), variable costs (VC), revenue/income each farmer, efficiency, and margin analysis. The result is that the cashew farmers’ revenue on average is Rp 18,216,000 annually with VC of Rp 3,564,000 and FC of Rp3,745,000. It economically indicates that cashew farming is profitable and still maintains an R/C ratio of 1.49, making cashew is efficiently cultivated and provides benefits. However, the margin analysis of cashew on average is 41-49% and the FTT level is 68.59% (which below 100%), meaning cashew farmers are not prosperous. This indication shows that cashew farming is starting to be abandoned by farmers because of no rejuvenation of plants, old cashew trees, and indicators of welfare that have not been met. As the added value of cashew has not been advantageous for farmers, it then needs to rejuvenate plants and increase the number of plants through the development of local superior varieties nurseries and processing variations that provide high value-added of cashew.