Posted on July, 26, 2021 at 09:04 am
PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has directed the Cashewnut Board of Tanzania (CBT) to find reliable market for cashewnuts that will guarantee better prices for the crop.
Equally, the Premier ordered the CBT to oversee the construction of small and large scale factories for processing cashewnuts in all areas which cultivate the cash crop in order to abandon the selling of raw cashews.
The PM issued the directives on Thursday during a meeting with regional commissioners from Lindi, Mtwara and Ruvuma and cooperative society registrar and leaders of cashewnut cooperative unions aimed at discussing the availability of agricultural inputs to cashe growers held in Lindi region.
He said that the new cashew board must work responsibly to increase cashewnut production, cautioning that the government will not hesitate to dissolve it if it fails to fulfill its responsibilities.
"You must make follow ups and be aware of the trend of the crop and the system used in selling the crop ...you should also have statistics of farmers and the size of the farms so that you can easily serve them," he said.
He further said that CBT is also required to prepare a special schedule indicating all stages required to be followed in cashewnut growing, starting with farms preparations to harvesting stage by considering the weather patterns of respective areas and present it to the farmers.
Mr Majaliwa stressed that they should also use agricultural expertise in growing the crop in order to increase efficiency to farmers. He also directed the board members to make sure that farmers are provided with inputs, including better seedlings.
He also emphasized that the cashewnut board should set a strategy of educating farmers about cashewnut farming covering its benefits.
For his part, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Hussein Bashe said that the government has alredy embarked on a process of empowering farmers' associations to start processing cashew nuts, noting that in this season, Tandahimba Newala Cooperative Union Limited (TANECU) has secured a loan from CRDB bank and will start processing 2500 tonnes of raw cashewnuts.
He said that other cooperative societies which will also follow the procedure after TANECU are TAMCU, MAMCU and RUNALI, which they all plan to set up factories with a capacity of processing 2,500 tonnes of cashewnut annually.
CBT Chairman, Brigedia General (retired) Aloyce Mwanjile said that they have received all directives issued by the PM and pledged to cooperate with all board members and management to work on them.
Source: Daily News