Just one kilogram of cashews can cost $10 wholesale.

僅一公斤腰果的批發價就高達 10 美元。

That's over seven times as much as peanuts.

這是花生的七倍多。

And in the U.S., retail prices for whole cashews can reach $15 per pound.

而在美國，全腰果的零售價可達每磅 15 美元。

But without intensive, precise processing, these nuts wouldn't be edible at all.

但是，如果沒有密集、精確的加工，這些堅果根本無法食用。

So how exactly are cashews processed?

那麼，腰果究竟是如何加工的呢？

And is this what makes them so expensive?

這就是它們如此昂貴的原因嗎？

In 2017, the world ate 770,000 metric tons of cashews.

2017 年，全世界吃掉了 77 萬公噸腰果。

They're one of the most popular and valuable nuts in the world, worth over $6 billion today.

它們是世界上最受歡迎和最有價值的堅果之一，目前價值超過 60 億美元。

Cashews grow in tropical locations like India, Vietnam, Ivory Coast, and here in Sri Lanka.

腰果生長在印度、越南、象牙海岸和斯里蘭卡等熱帶地區。

The trees are a member of the same family as poison ivy.

這種樹與毒藤是同科植物。

And like poison ivy, cashew plants contain a toxin called urushiol.

和毒藤一樣，腰果植物也含有一種叫做蕁麻醇的毒素。

It's found in the plant itself and the brown oil inside a nut's shell.

它存在於植物本身和堅果殼內的棕色油脂中。

It can cause burns, itches, and blisters, which is why unprocessed cashews are considered dangerous to eat or touch.

它會導致灼傷、瘙癢和水泡，這就是為什麼未經加工的腰果被認為食用或接觸都是危險的。

It's also why they require more rigorous processing than other nuts.

這也是它們比其他堅果需要更嚴格加工的原因。

Each fruit grows just one shelled nut, called a droop, which workers separate by hand.

每個果實只長出一個帶殼的堅果，稱為 "垂果"，工人用手將其分離。

The nuts must then dry under the sun to help draw out some of the shell's caustic liquid.

然後，堅果必須在陽光下晒乾，以幫助吸出果殼中的一些腐蝕性液體。

The most difficult and dangerous step is splitting open the nut, since toxic oil still coats the droops.

最困難、最危險的一步是劈開螺母，因為有毒的油仍然覆蓋在螺母上。

Cashews are brittle, so factories used to do this step manually to ensure machines wouldn't break the nuts.

腰果比較脆，是以工廠習慣用人工來完成這一步驟，以確保機器不會弄碎堅果。

But doing this by hand has frequently raised issues within the industry.

但手工操作經常在行業內引發問題。

NGOs have called out some factories for overworking employees and putting workers at risk of burning themselves if they can't afford to buy gloves for protection.

非政府組織譴責一些工廠讓員工過度勞累，如果工人買不起防護手套，就有可能燒傷自己。

Today, machines are advanced enough to crack the shells cleanly, keeping the majority of nuts intact and helping minimize risks to workers.

如今，機器已足夠先進，可以乾淨利落地敲碎果殼，保持大部分堅果完好無損，有助於最大限度地降低對工人的風險。

After a machine splits open the shells, the next two crucial stages totally depend on workers, who have to do them by hand.

在機器劈開貝殼後，接下來的兩個關鍵步驟完全依賴於工人的手工操作。

The nuts are roasted to ensure, again, that the toxic liquid inside is destroyed.

堅果經過烘烤，再次確保裡面的有毒液體被破壞。

The next stage is particularly tedious, as it relies heavily on machines.

下一階段尤其繁瑣，因為它在很大程度上依賴於機器。

It relies entirely on handiwork.

它完全依靠手工製作。

Workers must peel off the husk, or the dry outer covering that surrounds each nut, because it's high in tannins and could irritate your throat.

工人們必須剝去果殼，也就是每顆堅果周圍的乾燥外皮，因為它含有大量單寧酸，會刺激喉嚨。

Removing it is a skill one masters with practice.

移除它是一項需要練習才能掌握的技能。

Experienced workers de-skin only about 2.5 kilograms of cashews each night.

有經驗的工人每晚只剝大約 2.5 公斤腰果的皮。

This step is not only difficult, but also has the biggest impact on price.

這一步不僅困難，而且對價格影響最大。

Cashews are graded by several features, like color, weight, and condition.

腰果的分級有幾個特點，如顏色、重量和狀態。

Large whole nuts are most valuable.

完整的大果仁最為珍貴。

If you buy cashews for 2,500 rupiahs, the price will drop by 50 rupiahs.

如果你以 2 500 盧比購買腰果，價格會下降 50 盧比。

If you buy cashews for 2,000 rupiahs, the price will go up by 20 rupiahs.

如果你用 2000 盧比買腰果，價格會上漲 20 盧比。

Because cashews can only be harvested once a year, growers like Laharu save a portion of the nuts in stock so that they can continue making a profit in the months ahead.

由於腰果一年只能收穫一次，像拉哈魯這樣的種植者會將一部分腰果儲存起來，以便在未來的幾個月裡繼續獲利。

But it comes at a steep cost.

但代價也很高昂。

Just stocking the nuts costs Laharu more than $65,000 each year.

僅堅果儲備一項，拉哈魯每年就花費 65,000 多美元。

Cashews are available only for a short period of time.

腰果的供應期很短。

Cashews are not available every month.

腰果不是每個月都有。

Cashews are available only once a year.

腰果每年只供應一次。

If we want to stock cashews, we have to buy cashews from the market.

如果我們想儲存腰果，就必須從市場上購買腰果。

If cashews are sold every year, there is no profit for cashews in the market.

如果每年都出售腰果，腰果在市場上就沒有利潤。

This causes prices to fluctuate a bit year-round.

這導致價格常年略有波動。

In December, Laharu's supply has decreased, so prices typically increase.

12 月，拉哈魯的供應量減少，是以價格通常會上漲。

But it also depends on each country's supply chain.

但這也取決於每個國家的供應鏈。

While Sri Lanka processes and sells many of its own cashews domestically, other countries export much of what they grow.

斯里蘭卡在國內加工和銷售自己生產的腰果，而其他國家則出口自己種植的大部分腰果。

It's likely that many of the cashews you buy in the U.S. or Europe were grown in Africa, processed in Vietnam or India, and finally exported to the Western market.

您在美國或歐洲購買的腰果很可能是在非洲種植，在越南或印度加工，最後出口到西方市場。

Africa produces half of the world's supply of cashews.

非洲生產的腰果佔世界供應量的一半。

Ivory Coast, for example, produced about 730,000 metric tons of raw cashews in 2019.

例如，象牙海岸在 2019 年生產了約 73 萬公噸生腰果。

But it exported over 90% of that.

但它出口了其中的 90% 以上。

This is because Ivory Coast and other African countries still don't have a robust processing industry.

這是因為象牙海岸和其他非洲國家仍然沒有一個強大的加工業。

Ivory Coast plans to expand domestic processing by 2024.

象牙海岸計劃到 2024 年擴大國內加工。

But without it, cashews are significantly less valuable.

但如果沒有它，腰果的價值就會大打折扣。

In 2018, the export price of cashews processed in India and exported to Europe was 250% higher than the price paid to Ivory Coast farmers.

2018 年，在印度加工並出口到歐洲的腰果的出口價格比支付給象牙海岸農民的價格高出 250%。

Vietnam, on the other hand, was one of the first countries to invest in automation, making it a key location for processing cashews.

另一方面，越南是最早投資自動化的國家之一，使其成為腰果加工的關鍵地點。

Today, Vietnam is the largest cashew exporter in the world.

如今，越南是世界上最大的腰果出口國。

In just the first three months of 2021, the country exported over 108,000 tons of cashews.

僅在 2021 年頭三個月，該國就出口了 108,000 多噸腰果。

Automation has also lessened the need to hire workers, which is a reason many factories in India and Sri Lanka still process manually.

自動化還減少了僱傭工人的需求，這也是印度和斯里蘭卡許多工廠仍採用人工加工的原因。

By hand or machine, processing cashews is no easy task.

無論是手工還是機器，加工腰果都不是一件容易的事。

And the world's climate crisis could make it even harder.

而世界氣候危機可能會讓這一切變得更加困難。

A 2013 report on the climate's impact on cashews shows unseasonal rains and heavy dew can impact the quality and quantity of the nuts.

2013 年一份關於氣候對腰果影響的報告顯示，反季節降雨和大量露水會影響腰果的品質和數量。

Just this year, Lahuru's harvest came late because of it.

就在今年，拉胡魯的收成就是以而延後了。

We used to have a lot of cashews.

我們以前有很多腰果。

But now, we have less cashews.

但現在，我們的腰果少了。

We used to have about 10 kilos of cashews a day.

我們以前每天能吃 10 公斤腰果。

Now, we have 300 to 400 kilos of cashews a day.

現在，我們每天有 300 到 400 公斤腰果。

Amidst climate challenges, cashews continue to be popular.

儘管面臨氣候挑戰，腰果仍然很受歡迎。

Healthy eating trends are key to driving demand, along with the versatility of the cashew itself, another reason the nut remains so valuable.

健康飲食趨勢是推動需求的關鍵，腰果本身的多功能性也是腰果保持如此高價值的另一個原因。

Whether used as a snack, cooking paste, or an alternative to milk or butter, cashews have many applications around the world.

無論是作為零食、烹飪醬料，還是牛奶或黃油的替代品，腰果在世界各地都有很多用途。

Researchers predict the market will grow to $7 billion by 2025.

研究人員預測，到 2025 年，這一市場將增長到 70 億美元。

And although cashews are currently cheaper than they've been in recent years, demand is likely to drive prices higher in the future.

雖然腰果目前的價格比近幾年便宜，但未來的需求可能會推動價格上漲。

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