Africa-Press – Tanzania. RUVUMA region through Tunduru Agriculture and Marketing Cooperative Union (Tamcu Ltd) has planned to produce and sell 25,000 tonnes of cashew nuts in 2021/2022 season.
Tunduru Cahewnut Board Manager Shauri Mokiwa said recently that, the planned production is an increase of 38 per cent compared to 2020/2021 season where a total of 15,410,551 tonnes of cashew nuts were collected through warehouse receipt system.
Mr Mokiwa explained that in 2020/2021 season the production of cashewnuts dropped compared to 2019/2020 where a total 24,624,284 kilogrammes were collected and sold which is a decrease of 9,213,679kgs.
He said that the drop was due to failure to produce 30,000,000 kgs of the actual target from various areas producing cashewnut in the region.
Mr Mokiwa also said that all the cashew nuts which were collected were sold through auctions and bought by people who were not registered by the board at a price of 2,445/- and 2,020/- for first grade and 1,645 and 1,420/- for second grade.
He said that, a total of 33,088,547,389/- was collected of which 29,297,551,853.00bn/- was channeled to farmers and 3,790,995,546/- was paid to other stakeholders who provide services to farmers.
Tunduru District Commissioner Julius Mtatiro called on all people who buy cashew nuts through illegal ways commonly known as kangomba to stop immediately, insisting that the government was well organized to end all acts intended to affect purchase of the cash crop.
The DC said that the government would ensure that cashews produced during the 2021 season are sold through the warehouse receipt system and not otherwise.
“These measures aimed at supporting and protecting farmers who spend much time in production because the illegal buyers cause the farmers to fail to attain their objectives and increase efficiency,” he said.
He said through security and defense committee, his office is well organised to end sabotage in the entire process of auctioning cashewnuts.
Mr Mtatiro who is a chairman for security and defense committee, warned, workers and traders to avoid falling into trouble by buying the cash crop contrary to the warehouse receipt system.
He called them to be part of educating farmers on the importance of using Agricultural Marketing Co-operative Society (AMCOS) in their respective areas to sell their cashews and other crops recommended to be purchased through warehouse receipt system.
Mr Mtatiro said that, they would continue to oversee the selling of cashews through warehouse receipt system which have proved to be beneficial to farmers since its inception.
