Dar es Salaam. The internet shutdown from October 29 to November 3, 2025, has compelled Tanzania’s agricultural authorities to postpone by one week the auction of raw cashew nuts (RCN), which was initially scheduled to start on Friday, October 31.
Cashew is cultivated in more than 13 regions across Tanzania, with the southern areas, particularly the Mtwara, Lindi, Coast, and Ruvuma regions, remaining the main production zones.
In Tanzania, cashew is not only a traditional cash crop but also a strategic produce that makes a significant contribution to the national economy.
According to the Bank of Tanzania’s Monthly Economic Review for March 2024, Tanzania earned over $616 million (Sh1.5 trillion) from cashew exports during the 2024/25 season after producing 528,260 tonnes of RCN.
The March 2024 Review also shows that the 2024/25 export revenue marked a sharp rise from 2023 earnings of $221.3 million (Sh575 billion) from 254,500 tonnes of RCN.
Figures from the Ministry of Agriculture’s Budget Speech for 2024/25 show that in the 2022/23 fiscal year, Tanzania earned Sh282.59 billion from exporting 106,430.55 tonnes of RCN.
The speech further indicates that in the 2021/22 financial year, Sh350.23 billion was generated from exporting 146,155.56 tonnes, while Sh269.99 billion was collected from 115,155.95 tonnes of the crop in the 2020/21 Financial Year.
The 2024/25 figures broke the country’s previous record set in the 2017/18 season, when $575 million was earned from 313,000 tonnes of RCN.
In the 2025/26 season, the Cashew Nut Board of Tanzania (CBT) has projected a 700,000-tonne harvest, with the country targeting one million tonnes by 2030.
However, the RCN auctions slated to commence last Friday have been postponed until next Friday (November 7, 2025), according to the CBT.
“CBT would like to inform all stakeholders in the cashew value chain that, due to internet disruptions experienced nationwide, some auction warehouses have been unable to receive RCN from farmers.
As a result, the cashew sales auctions scheduled for Friday, October 31, 2025, have been postponed to Friday, November 7, 2025,” reads a public notice signed by CBT Director General Francis Alfred dated October 30, 2025.
Mr Alfred said the decision was made because the cashew trade in Tanzania, from receiving the nuts in warehouses, and transporting them to the auction process, is conducted online.
He added that, as in the 2024/25 season, auctions are held through the Tanzania Mercantile Exchange (TMX) online platform.
“The one-week postponement aims to ensure a stable network for buyers worldwide to participate effectively and to facilitate the smooth receipt of raw cashew nuts in warehouses, as well as the issuance of buying licences and transportation permits,” said Mr Alfred.
He urged all stakeholders within and outside the country to remain patient during this period.
Mr Alfred further noted that the network is expected to stabilise by Monday, November 3, 2025, allowing warehouse operators to continue receiving RCN from Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies (Amcos) in preparation for the first auction on November 7, 2025.
He also urged assistant registrars in cashew-growing regions and cooperative unions to continue educating and supporting farmers in collecting and transporting their produce to auction warehouses.
Additionally, he directed the Warehouse Receipts Regulatory Board (WRRB) to make proper arrangements for trucks that have already arrived at warehouses.
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