Maputo, Mozambican Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario declared on Friday that the country will soon be able to harvest 200,000 tonnes of cashew nuts a year, thanks to the level of investment under way in this sector.
Speaking in Meconta district, in the northern province of Nampula, Rosario noted that this would be a “historic level” of cashew production. 200,000 tonnes or more was reached in the colonial period, but not since Mozambican independence in 1975.
Currently Mozambique is producing around 137,000 tonnes of cashew nuts a year. Nampula provides 44 per cent of this total - 60,000 tonnes.
“The productivity of the cashew trees is increasing and our plans are, in the near future, to reach the historic level of 200,000 tonnes of nuts a year," Rosario told.
The cashew nursery at Nassaruma belongs to the government's Cashew Promotion Institute (INCAJU). Its key focus is the production of cashew seedlings, and in the 2016/17 campaign it has produced 799,000 grafted seedlings.
Also on Friday, Rosario visited the South African owned company Alfa-Agricultura, which has a land title to exploit 1,080 hectares, 500 of which are now in use. With investment of 8.6 million US dollars, the company is growing cashew trees, fruit trees and vegetables. The company intends to set up a cashew processing plant, and received encouragement from the Prime Minister.
Source: allafrica.com
