We’re yet to have a system of cashews purchase: government

Mtwara. Agriculture minister Japhet Hasunga says the government is yet to introduce a procedure of purchasing cashews annually from farmers as it was during the 2018/19 buying season.

Speaking on Tuesday, Hasunga said it happened this year because there was lack of a perfect market and that the government had to intervene to rectify the situation after having the correct information in the market.

The minister clarified that this year the government was putting things right including introducing new systems and that people and firms would continue to buy the crops as usual, but all cashewnuts would be shelled in the country.

“This year, we are putting things right as people and firms continue to buy cashews as usual after the introduction of systems, but all cashewnuts will be shelled locally,” said Hasunga

The minister ordered that those who bought cashews out of the Warehouse Receipt System (WRS) to surrender themselves to the authorities.

He ordered that such buyers must give information about the amounts of cashews they had bought to prevent tougher action being taken against them and to help the verification exercise to be much easier.

“They must go to the regions they bought their cashews and say they breached the laws by not using WRS. “

They should also proclaim they have a certain number of tonnes of the crop so that action on economic sabotage or any punitive measures should not be taken against them.

“Let them go and report so that we can know how we can reach them,” said Hasunga

“If they don’t step forward, there will be a time for us to take action. So, let me use this opportunity to order them to implement what I have said as it will be more helpful,” he said.

He said the government had put in place strategies to ensure production continued by strengthening the Naliendele Agriculture Research Institute.

He explained that a total of 37,816 cashew seedlings had already been distributed to farmers including a strategy for the production of enough seeds, whereby until now there were 40.1 tonnes of seeds.

“As a government we have planned to produce Kama 350,000 tonnes of seeds next year as our goal is to come up with 600,000 tonnes of seeds by 2025,” said the minister.