The Times of Zambia reported a +100% annual production growth of Zambian cashew nuts.
The production of raw cashew nuts has gone up to 130,000 tons per year and local consumption has gone up to 50,000 tons reports Allan Chinambu, President of the Association of Cashew Growers in Zambia
The cashew nut, which is mainly farmed in the west of Zambia, has the potential, if exploited, to create 10,000 jobs in industry, over 50,000 in agriculture, and to support over 100 small farms.
Whilst recognising this rise in production, the President of the Association pointed out that cashew nut farming has always been held back by many challenges that remain to be met.
''The rise is held back by the weak level of productivity from small scale producers, who are numerous and isolated in rural regions. This is a constraint for the trades people and the processing industry who must meet high transaction costs to maintain their own procurement arrangements, transport and stocking'' he declares. Cashew nut farming is also held back by the lack of quality standards, this undermines the consumers trust in locally farmed cashew nuts with competition from imported ones.
