<p></p><p>Small scale cashew nut farmers in the country now root for open dialogue platforms at district and regional levels in an effort to increase local processing and marketing of Tanzanian cashew. <br></p> <p>The aim is to effectively facilitate networking of local processors and other stakeholders in the cashew industry as well as to enhance value addition of the products and increase competitiveness of the sector.The decision was reached after a two days of cashew processors stakeholders’ dialogue held in Mtwara recently.Tanzania is Africa’s largest cashew nut grower after Mozambique and Ivory Coast, and the world’s eighth biggest producer. The Cashew nut Board of Tanzania (CBT) reports that Tanzania in 2012 produced about 158,000 metric tonnes of cashew nuts. Out of this 88 per cent is exported as raw nuts, while 12 per cent is processed internally, leaving a lot of value added and employment opportunities with the importing countries.Cashew nuts provide an important source of income for over 250,000 smallholder farmers in Tanzania. It is on this ground that local small scale processors agreed that there was considerable income being lost in exporting unprocessed nuts.Speaking during the meeting, participants were of the view that farmers should resort to selling processed nuts rather than raw cashew that earn them very less money compared to the processed ones. <br></p> <p>They argued that there was potential market for the processed nuts compared to the raw cashew that is sold through the government’s compulsory procedure of warehouse receipt system (WRS).According to the farmers, a kilogramme of raw cashew nut earns them Sh 5000 in return while the same quantity of processed nuts is sold at between Sh 12,000 and Sh 16,000.“The margin is quite big and that is why we now campaign that farmers should stop selling raw and resort to processing, mostly in groups to reduce the burden” said Tumpale Magehema from Ruangwa district. <br></p> <p>She said they currently have 33 groups in the district who are processing cashew nut, pack and sell to both local and international market.Ms Magehema, who is an official in the group, added that it was not easy to bring small farmers together and form the groups but after a serious educational campaign, farmers realised the importance of selling processed nuts.Juma Sadiki from Nachingwea had the same opinion, noting that the government needs to empower small scale processors. He said initially there were 30 groups of small scale processor but the number increased to 50 in the last season. <br></p> <p>“Farmers in Nachingwea have realised the benefits of selling processed nuts and are grouping to increase productivity but the biggest challenge remains lack of finance,” he noted.He pointed out that at district level, the authority need to ensure that every ward was provided with small processing plant to increase productivity and by so doing municipal authorities get more money in levies.But this, according to Sadiki should go hand in hand with educating farmers on the importance of forming small processors groups.Nanyumbu Development Foundation’s executive secretary, Namagono Hassan also suggested that farmers should understand the importance of selling processed cashew which would earn them more money.“There is need to have farmers groups at even ward level as this would enrich farmers with entrepreneurial skills” he said.After the two days meeting organised by Agricultural Non State Actors Forum (ANSAF), farmers agreed to form dialogue at district and regional levels where they will express their challenges.<br></p><p></p>