The number of active cashew nut processing units in Nampula province, in the north of the country, the biggest producer of this crop in Mozambique, has dropped from 17 to the current six, revealed provincial governor Manuel Rodrigues. According to the governor, this is causing discouragement among the estimated 300,000 producers, “given that, in 19 of the 23 districts that make up the province, which is around 83%, cashew is the main source of income for many familiesâ€. Manuel Rodrigues was speaking on Thursday (08-06) during the first national consultation meeting of stakeholders in the cashew value chain, which ended on Friday. “Our province has more than 37 cashew companies, including 17 processors – 13 factories and four small factories – and 20 exporters. However, despite this number of processing units, we are concerned to note that, unfortunately, only six [of those processing] units are currently operational, thus putting some fellow citizens out of work and consequently demotivating our producers,†said the governor, cited by the Information Agency of Mozambique (AIM). Rodrigues reported that there was nevertheless an increase in the volume of cashew nuts sold, from 67,338 tons in 2021 to around 77,000 in the 2022-23 campaign. “We currently have 15 seedling production nurseries in the province, of which six are public, eight managed by cooperatives and one by the private sector. We want to encourage greater involvement of the private sector in this component,†he said. Manuel Rodrigues suggested reflecting on ways to improve the cashew marketing chain in order to guarantee a fair remuneration to producers for the effort they undertake, motivating the expansion of production. The province of Nampula is the country’s largest producer of cashew nuts, with around 15 million cashew trees. Cashew nut production and processing in Mozambique dates back to the so-called ‘colonial era’, when it reached record levels. For example, in 1973, it peaked at 240,000 tons.