<p></p><p>The cashew market saw low to steady activities last week with a few transactions for W240 at $3.75-3.85 and W320 at $3.35-3.50 a pound free on board (FoB).</p> <p>Not much trade took place in with the other grades. Nominal values for other grades W450 and SW320 were at around $3.30, butts at $2.55, splits at $2.45, and pieces at $2 a pound FoB.A noteworthy aspect has been that in the last six-eight months, the price differential between wholes and brokens has been widening, Mr Pankaj N. Sampat, a Mumbai-based dealer told Business Line. For a long time, splits/butts were trading at a discount of about 50 cents a pound. Now, with peeling mechanisation becoming widespread (and limited mechanisation in other processes), availability of brokens has increased and the discount has doubled to 100 cents, he said. The lower prices should lead to its wider usage as an ingredient, especially in Asia. </p><p>The gap between the lowest and the highest offers on any given day continues to be high, depending on the packer and shipment period, according to market sources in Mumbai. The Indian domestic market picked up slightly this week but the volumes were small. </p><p>“We are in the middle of 2012 and can say that the first half has been one of the most volatile six months for the cashew market. The year began with W320 at an average of $3.55 FoB.By mid/late March, the market was at $3.20 (a decline of 10 per cent). It started moving up mid April and reached a peak of $3.80 (rising over 15 per cent) by mid May. In the last three to four weeks it has drifted down to an average of $3.45, recording a decline of 8 per cent. </p> <h2>RCN stays quiet</h2> <p>The Raw Cashew Nut (RCN) market was mostly quiet. Shipments from Africa continue to be very slow which means that cashew will arrive in India and Vietnam over a longer period. No change in prices was seen with Guinea Bissau (GB) at around $1,350 a tonne, Senegal/Gambia at $1,300, Benin at $1,100 and Ivory Coast (IVC) at $1,000 (c&f).</p> <p> </p><br><p></p>