<p><strong>Addressing reporters who visited primary cooperative unions that buy the crop, the latter urged the government to compel traders to send the inputs timely if production of the crop is to increase.</strong></p> <p><strong>Nachingwea. Cashew farmers in Nachingwea District, Lindi Region have cited the delay in accessing agro-inputs as one of the major factors leading to decreased production. Addressing reporters who visited primary cooperative unions that buy the crop, the latter urged the government to compel traders to send the inputs timely if production of the crop is to increase. The reporters visited Matekwe, Mbondo and Nammanga primary cooperative unions in Nachingwea District in a bid to learn problems that the unions and farmers face in the cashew business chain.</strong></p> <p><strong>Mr Ali Ndolage, a resident of Kiegei Village and a cashew farmer, told journalists that those charged with the responsibility of distributing the inputs, particularly sulphur, have not been distributing it in time to enable farmers to spray the pesticide timely. “It would have been better if the dealers had been sending enough sulphur in the buying season so that farmers can purchase a lot of it and store it themselves ready for the next season,” he proposed.</strong></p> <p><strong>He said cashew production has gone down this season because of shortage of sulphur. “Many farmers got the pesticide well after the time when they were supposed to spray their trees,” he said. A clerk at Mbondo cooperative union, Mr Shabani Mpyagila, asked the agriculture department in the district to make sure that the process of getting the subsidised inputs started early. “If farmers have to produce more they need to have the inputs timely,” he insisted. On the other hand a member of Nammanga union, Ms Josephine Kayus said even the amount of sulphur </strong></p> <p><strong>which they receive was enough to meet their demands.</strong></p> <p> </p>