Maputo — Mozambique's National Cashew Institute (INAJU) is optimistic that the 2009-2010 cashew harvest will reach 95,000 tonnes, reports Monday's issue if the Maputo daily "Noticias".

According to an INCAJU source, up until 15 January 71,400 tonnes of cashew nuts had been marketed, which is 75 per cent of the target.

The largest cashew producing province is Nampula, which recorded 67 per cent of all sales in the period up to mid January. A further 14 per cent came from the neighbouring provinces of Zambezia and Cabo Delgado, and the remaining 14 per cent from Sofala, Inhambane, Gaza and Maputo.

The marketing campaign is now concentrating on the southern provinces, in order to bring the total up to 95,000 tonnes.

This is not as much as the 100,000 tonnes that INCAJU had initially hoped for, but a considerable improvement on the 2008/2009 campaign, when only 64,150 tonnes of nuts were marketed.

The increase is put down to good climatic conditions, successful spraying of cashew trees against pests, and the easing of the international financial crisis, which has made buyers more interested in Mozambican cashews.

INCAJU director Filmena Maiopue told "Noticias" that the cashew processing factories in northern Mozambique all have their raw materials guaranteed for this year, and it is expected that the same will be true for the few factories in the southern factories once the marketing campaign ends.

In total, the Mozambican factories can process 25-30,000 tonnes of nuts. Some will be processed informally for the local sale of cashew kernels, but the bulk of cashew production will still be exported as raw nuts (mostly to India).