Cashew nut factories to create jobs

SUNDAY NEWS Reporter

Workers in a Cashew nuts industry

CASHEW nut factories are planned for Mukuranga, Mtwara and Tunduru in order to create jobs and counter the prevalent negative trade practice of exporting raw and semi-processed cashew nuts.

The lead researcher in Africa’s Cashew Nut Programme, Professor Peter Masawe, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the three factories would add value to the crop and reduce export of jobs to other countries.

Local processors are losers, missing more than half of the cashew inherited value, he explained. Mr Masawe said habitually Tanzanian processors go for nuts ignoring cashew fruits and shells.

Yet, he added, “the fruits and shells are the most valuable part of the crop. We must find a way of adding value to fruits and shells and stop throwing them away.”

Tanzania produces over 260,000 tonnes of cashew nuts annually, the researcher said, adding that the country will produce 300,000 tonnes in the next season creating roughly 80,000 jobs.

He said in the last sea son, India, China and Vietnam were the biggest importers of Tanzanian cashew nuts at a “revered price of 4,000/- a kilo despite the transport and storage costs at home.

“Why do they choose to endure these costs? The huge profit they get offsets the costs they incur.” The trio bought more crop than 12 local processing industries, he said.

Giving the example of Indian importer who imports raw cashew nuts from Tanzania, the researcher said nuts are sold as food; pieces are crushed into butter, pasta and powder. Shells produce cashew nut shell liquid (CNLS) and strangely, “ten kgs of cashew nuts produce 10 kgs of CNLS.”

Mr Masawe, also a member of Cashew nut Board of Tanzania, said CNLS is used to make brake linings, perfumes, termitecide and a lubricant for airplane parts. Cashew fruit juice has vitamin C, ten times that the juice pine apples and five times more that orange juice.

The fruit is used to make wine and spirits. Cashew nut is considered to be a crop gaining fast economic importance and could become one of the dominant crops in sub-Saharan Africa in the next few years.