The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Polycarp Machira
13 March 2008
The Cashewnut Board of Tanzania and stakeholders in cashew nut production are working on proposals to be included in the proposed new Cashewnut Board of Tanzania Act.
The current act dating from 1984 has been cited as outdated, barring the board from implementing its full mandate to improve production, processing and marketing of the crop locally and for export.
Beno Mhagama, the board's director general said the 1984 Act was outdated and could not enable the district agricultural development programme (DADP) for 2010.
Speaking at the opening of two day-meeting at Kibaha yesterday, he said the DADP strategy is to ensure production of cashewnuts in the country reaches at least 180,000 tonnes per year. Currently the country produces 94,000 tonnes for the world market.
"This staggering production can only be increased if the legal settings are significantly improved, to give the board a tool to oversee the production of the crop," he said.
He said the country is capable of producing up to 300,000 tonnes per year if farmers are given the necessary support. "Farmers need serious support if we are to compete with other countries in the production of the crop," he stated.
Among other things hindering healthy production are poor working tools, lack of credit from banks as they only give loans to traders in cashew nuts but not to the farmers, he said.
Small scale processing techniques failing to produce the desired quality of cashew nuts is another challenge, plus the lack of local consumption providing a ready market for farmers.
Tandahima MP Juma Njwayo said revamping the crop, which earns the country four per cent of national income must get all the seriousness it deserves, as it could earn more if attended to.
Geoffrey Kirenga of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Cooperatives, said that agricultural officers were insufficient, but measures are in place to see more officers trained every year.
At least 3000 officers will now graduate yearly, and plans to expand colleges and increase the number of trainers to ensure the demand is met were also afoot, he said.
Lack of specialised re-training for agricultural officer was also a setback as most officers were trained in general work without specialization in certain crops.
Therefore it has been hard to provide trained officers for improvement of cashew nuts farming, he added.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Citizen. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
