<p></p><p>Lindi — Nanyumbu District council is working out strategies to boost cashew production, with the views of doubling yields from the current 8,500 to at least 16,000 tonnes, annually.District Executive Director (DED) Hamis Dambaya said that the council is designing strategies for bumper production of the crop, which is among the major sources of income for Nanyumbu residents. He said farmers have been getting little yields due to reluctant to follow extension officers' directives in growing, pruning and weeding their farms."It is obvious that many farmers in Nanyumbu District have been producing little because they do not follow or they do not get proper extension services from experts ... this time around we are prepared to change the situation and probably, cashew nut production will soon double," said Mr Dambaya.He said his office is doing everything in its capacity to get enough extension officers so that farmers could be directed on the proper way of growing and maintaining cashew nut trees.He said in 2015, the district produced 8,500 tonnes of cashew nuts, with the council collecting 484m/- as tax during the sale of the cash crop. "With improved cashew nut production, it means the council will also collect more to finance social service delivery," he said. <br></p> <p>Commenting on other crops, Mr Dambaya said the council is campaigning for the improvement of cassava, chickpeas, sunflower and green grams. He said the government is still searching for both domestic and international markets for the crops.Last month, President John Magufuli, speaking at a twoday tour of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said India offers huge market for Tanzanian chickpeas, green grams and pigeon peas, which are most favourite among Indian consumers.Indians, most of whom are vegetarians, consume 23 million tonnes of peas annually against her production capacity of 17 million tonnes.There is, therefore, a deficit of six million tonnes of peas that India imports, a huge business opportunity for Tanzania, which last year exported 200 million US dollars (over 400bn/-) worth of peas, to the Asian nation.India agreed to fund commercial production of peas in Tanzania. But, India too offers immense market for Tanzanian cashew nut, with over 90 per cent of the produce exported in raw form to India for processing. Mr Dambaya said his office is prepared to assist the residents to absorb the opportunity by producing enough crops.<br></p><p></p>