AfricaPress-Tanzania: MTWARA cashew nuts have fetched a good price at the on-going commodity market since the start of the season, thanks to high kernel quality.
The Mtwara cashew nuts, according to experts, have high kernel quality compared to those from Lindi, thus fetching good prices.
According to Tanzania Mercantile Exchange (TMX), Tandahimba raw nuts fetched 2,698/- per kilogramme, the highest since the season started early this month compared to between 2,642/- and 2,496/- of Lindi.
Since the beginning of the season in this month, TMX conducted five raw cashew nut auctions in Mtwara and Lindi at price the range of 2,405/- and 2,698/-.
Tanzania Pulses Network National Coordinator Zirack Andrew said the first TMX auctions in a number of warehouses in Mtwara and Lindi showed that the price was averaging at around 2,560/- per kilogramme.
“Of the two regions, Mtwara cashew nuts faired well compared to Lindi’s. This is slightly higher than the average price of cashew nuts as of last December by 4 per cent,” Mr Andrew said.
In the past five years, India has been leading in exports by taking an average of 66 per cent of Tanzania’s export share.
Last year though for the first time in many years, India was outclassed by Vietnam by being the major importer of the permanent crop by fetching cashew nuts to $197 million which was 89 per cent of Tanzania’s exports.
The global trade flow of raw cashew nuts is currently about 2.1 billion valued at $2.7bn.
The consumption— importation—pack is led by Vietnam, India, Saudi Arabia, China and Indonesia.
According to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Tanzania ranks eighth in the world and fourth in Africa – behind Nigeria, Cote D’Ivore and Guinea – Bissau
