The chairman of the Cashew Industry Association (Aicaju), Mohammed Yunus Abdul Gaffar has said the country’s cashew processing companies will process 41,500 tons of nuts by the end of the year, a 66 percent increase compared to the 25,000 tons processed in 2014, APA can report on Friday. Addressing the opening ceremony of the 2015/2016 cashew sales campaign, an event that took place in Muecate district, Nampula province, Gaffar said he expected the cashew campaign to be good, which was the basis for growth of the processing industry.
The chairman of Aicaju said this year would also see the launch of processing cashew bark to extract oil, which is seen as an important step in the integrated development of the cashew industry in Mozambique.
The industrial cashew sector in Mozambique currently employs just over 12,000 workers, a number that is expected to increase in the near future with the entry into operation of new plants.
A new cashew processing factory will be inaugurated next month in Nampula district and another is due to start operating in 2016 in the Liupo district.
There are currently 14 cashew processing factories operating in Mozambique, mostly in Nampula province, the country’s largest producer, with over 14 million cashew trees.
The goal for 2015/2016 is to sell 100,000 tons, against 80,000 ton the previous year.
Source: APA/StarAfrica
