Exports of raw cashew nuts generated $82.9 million in the first half of this year, retaining their position as Mozambique's leading agricultural export product, despite a 17.7% decline compared with the same period in 2025.
According to first-half execution data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, Mozambique exported agricultural products worth $108.5 million, up 5% from the $103.2 million recorded in the equivalent period of 2025.
Raw cashew nuts accounted for the largest share of agricultural export revenues at $82.9 million, although the figure retreated from the $100.7 million registered in the first half of 2025.
In volume terms, exports declined marginally, from 74,664 tonnes in the first six months of 2025 to 73,391 tonnes over the same period this year. Vietnam and India remained the principal destinations, followed by South Africa.
Macadamia was the second largest agricultural export, generating revenues of $19 million, with Vietnam and China as the main markets.
Sesame exports earned $16.8 million, destined primarily to China, while soya beans generated $4.6 million.
Cotton fibre recorded one of the sharpest increases, with export values nearly doubling from $2.5 million to $4.2 million, with Bangladesh, Dubai, and Switzerland among the principal destinations.
New Regulatory Framework for the Cashew Value Chain
In August, the government approved a new regulation governing the cashew value chain, implementing the 2023 Cashew Law and revoking the regulatory framework that had been in force since 2018. The legislation establishes rules covering the promotion, production, commercialisation, processing, export, and import of cashew.
According to the executive, the revision is intended to address current sector challenges and strengthen its competitiveness. "The proposed regulation is pertinent and crucial to reinforcing the competitiveness of the cashew value chain in its full scope and of the country in the global cashew market," the government stated.
Long-Term Production Targets
The strategy also encompasses the Cashew Value Chain Development Programme 2025–34, valued at $374 million, which aims to increase annual production from 158,000 to 689,000 tonnes by 2034.
The programme sets a target of raising the number of assisted producers from approximately 230,000 to more than 600,000, and of increasing processing capacity from 40,000 to more than 482,000 tonnes, while also deepening digitalisation across the sector.
In the 2024–25 campaign, cashew nut commercialisation reached approximately 195,400 tonnes, approaching historic levels. In 1973, Mozambique produced around 210,000 tonnes of processed cashew and ranked second in the world, behind India, before output fell to between 15,000 and 20,000 tonnes annually following independence.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/25/negocios/agronegocios/exportacoes-de-castanha-de-caju-renderam-quase-83-m-no-primeiro-semestre/
