Cashew prices fall slightly as farmers remain jittery

Dar es Salaam. Prices of cashew nut declined slighly this week as two major cooperatives moved on with the auctions of the raw produce in the ongoing season.

Masasi and Mtwara (Mamcu) and Tandahimba and Newala (Tanecu) sold 13,390 tonnes on Friday with the price ranging from Sh2,070 to Sh2,321 per kilo.

This is the third round for the cooperatives to hold auctions since the start of the current season. In the second round, the prices ranged between Sh2,220 and Sh2,401 per kilo.

Yesterday, leaders of cooperative societies said farmers were unhappy with prices, calling for government intervention in a bid to improve prices and restore smiles on their faces.

Speaking to The Citizen, Mamcu general manager Biadia Matipa said offered prices can hardly benefit farmers. “Our outcry is usual, buyers should up their offers in order to benefit farmers,” she said over the phone. Tanecu general manager Mohamed Mwinguku said farmers, Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies (Amcos) and leaders of cooperative unions were disappointed with the prevailing prices.

“Farmers are forced to accept offered prices because they have no alternative as buyers maintain that they are forced to export cashews via the Mtwara Port where a container is charged a lot more for exports,” he said, adding.

“The government should hold a dialogue with buyers in order to unveil and address their challenges for the benefit of farmers, the crop and the country in general,” said Tanecu general manager Mwinguku.

Coming auctions

Yesterday, Lindi Mwambao general manager Nurdin Swallah said they expected to auction 3,242.59 tonnes of cashews at the Lindi Municipal on Saturday.

“This is after trading 5,012.93 tonnes in Kilwa during the first auction that included 1,892 tonnes whose maximum and minimum prices of Sh2,275 and Sh2010 respectively was boycotted by farmers,” he said. According to him, the whole bulk was sold at Sh2,286 and Sh2,100 respectively.

Ms Jahida Hassan of the Ruangwa, Nachingwea and Liwale Cooperative Union (Runali) said during the opener auction, 2,700 tonnes were sold at Sh2,282 and Sh2,228 respectively.

Her Tunduru Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Union (Tamcu) counterpart Iman Kalembo said they had insufficient produce to auction on Thursday as demanded by the schedule released by the Cashewnut Board of Tanzania (CBT), “The opener has been extended to next week.”

Cashew harvests have been forecasted at 280,000 tonnes this season as compared to 278,000 tonnes anticipated in the 2020/21 season.

Statistics from the CBT, indicate that 344,000 tonnes of cashews were harvested in the 2015/16 season; 358,000 tonnes in 2016/17 and 303,000 tonnes in 2017/18.

Furthermore, 232,000 tonnes were collected in 2018/19; 227,778 tonnes in 2019/20 and 204,000 in the 2020/21 season.