Africa-Press – Tanzania. TANZANIA Bureau of Standard (TBS) has approved the valued added cashew nut products developed and processed by Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) Naliendele marking, a new wave for the development of cashew industry and economic development in the country.
The products include wine, juice, and jam prepared from the cashewnut apple. Other products are cashew milk, cashew yogurts and dried and roasted cashews.
TARI Director General Dr Geofrey Mkamilo made the revelation recently here noting that the certification of the products by TBS now allows the institute to enter the products into the markets.
“On the matter of value added cashew products, we have developed products such as wine and others with its standard having certified by TBS and qualified to enter the market for sale,” he said noting that TARI has already acquired the tested products certificate.
The TARI Boss said that TARI and TBS further discussed on the need to include the private sector in investing in production of the products in order to expand the market for the products.
“We discussed the need to involve the private sector to invest more in the production of the cashew apple wine, as well as other certified products to expand the market for the benefit of the country’s cashew industry and economic development,” he said.
In another development, TARI Naliendele has started inviting local processors to learn and develop processing technologies of the cashew nut products.
Meanwhile research institute is expected to develop and distribute 100 tonnes of improved cashew nut seeds to farmers in the entire cashew farming regions in the country.
The aim, according to TARI, is to expand the cultivation of the cashews in the country and help in increasing the production from the current 300,000 tonnes harvested every year to 1000,000/- tonnes by 2014/25.
Dr Mkamilo said the improved seeds will be sold to all cashew farmers in the country starting January next year to ensure the farmers rely and cultivate the improved seeds to produce quality cashew nuts.
