CBT to hatch 273bn/- worth Industrial Park in Mtwara to steer cashew processing in Tanzania -

By STAFF REPORTER

THE Cashew Board of Tanzania (CBT) is working to embark on a grand project for the establishment of a major Industrial Park (IP) at Malanje area in Mtwara region.

The envisaged USD 116 million, (equivalent to 273bn/-) worth project will incorporate installation of more than 30 processing plants at the same hub.

Expecting to occupy at least 1,500 hectares, the robust project will see the setting up of a total of ten factories for the processing of 300,000 tons of cashew annually.

Giving an interview to this publication the CBT’s Director General, Alfred Francis noted that the investment will also involve construction of ten plants for the processing of sesame, at the capacity of 300,000 tons in a year.

“Not only that, but as per the project’s design, there will be another ten factories that will be producing oil from cashew nuts” he informed.

The CBT’s chief boss added that the investment which is projected to create a total of 3000 employment will involve installation of special facilities for the production of sacks.

“The general vision behind the project is to ensure the country discourse a poor economic trend of exporting raw cashew,”

“Huge percent of the cashew produced in Tanzania and marketed to the world market, at least 98 percent, are at the first grade but the problem is that we export them raw, prompting a low price” Francis expressed.

He added that the Board was working round the clock in cooperation with the ministry of agriculture to heighten cashew processing and value addition in the country in order to allow the country’s cashew to enjoy a wider market in the world market.

“Through selling raw cashew, we’re minimizing our market scope as we are being compelled to sell only to India and Vietnam, but if processing, we can sell our cashew into many more countries including USA, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa,” he unveiled.

Under the coming investment, he said the focus was to attain other possible cashew value addition, including production of cashew juice and wine.

Moreover, he communicated that establishment of the Industrial Park will go in tandem with special programs to assist the cashew farmers to adopt cultivation of other economic cash crops that thrive in their producing zones.

“The focus is to ensure the farmers are not end-up cultivating cashew per se, but also grabs the economic fortune of growing other crops, the development which will generally improve their livelihood, ” he said.

According to him, the helpful program which aims to improve food security, will see the CBT assist the cashew farmers with seeds varieties for the other cash crops that flourishes in their areas.

“Through producing and marketing other crops, the farmers would stand a possible chance to raise money to help them procure enough inputs for caring for their cashew plantations, ” he observed.

Cashew is currently produced within more than 12 regions across the country.

Tanzania is one of the largest cashew producers in Africa, with exports providing between 10 and 15 percent of the country’s foreign exchange.

The country is the eighth-largest grower of cashew nuts in the world and ranks fourth in Africa.

However, further statistics depict that Tanzania provides at least 20 percent of Africa’s cashew nuts and only trails in production of Nigeria, Côte D’Ivoire, and Guinea-Bissau, according to figures by United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).

Tanzania is well known for its cashew nut production, the nuts are nicknamed “grey gold” due to the high return on investment.

However, despite such excellence in the production of the cash crop, only 5 percent of the raw cashew nuts are being processed locally, with the other 95 percent being exported all the way to Vietnam or India for value addition before reaching consumer markets of Europe and America.

It is estimated that this created a loss of around 216bn/- (equivalent to 83 million EUR) in the season.