The government estimates that cashew nut production, one of the country’s main cash crops, will increase by 23% this year, reaching 218.9 thousand tons. This growth is driven by the expansion of the cultivation area, which is also expected to grow by 26% to 64 thousand hectares nationwide.
According to government data cited by Lusa, only 177.6 thousand tons of cashew nuts were produced last year, on an area of 50.6 thousand hectares.
In this context, to boost the activity—which provides employment for thousands of families in Mozambique—plans for this year include the production, distribution, and planting of 6.6 million cashew seedlings, with an investment of 90 million meticais, as well as the “chemical treatment of 9.2 million cashew trees against pests and diseases.”
“Revenue from cashew nut exports had already increased by 71% in 2024, reaching a record of 98.2 million dollars. In 2023, the figure stood at 57.3 million dollars, in 2022 at 51.7 million dollars, while in 2021 it was only 30 million dollars,” the report details.
According to the 2024 budget execution report from the Ministry of Finance, around 4.8 million cashew seedlings were produced last year, with approximately 4.4 million distributed.
In September last year, the Government announced that the reference price for the sale of raw cashew nuts for the 2024–2025 marketing season was set at 45 meticais per kilogram, an increase of 10 meticais compared to the previous season’s price.
Last year, Mozambique and China signed an agreement allowing the export of new Mozambican agricultural products without customs duties. The products covered by the agreement include macadamia, pigeon peas, and cashew nuts, which can now be exported to the Chinese market tariff-free, enhancing opportunities for Mozambican agricultural producers.
The agreement, valid for three years and subject to automatic renewal, was signed by Mozambique’s ambassador to China, Maria Gustavo, and the Chinese ambassador to Mozambique, Wang Hejun.
Source: Diário Económico
