In Tanzania, the government has just signed an agreement worth 375.5 billion shillings ($161 million) with various local suppliers of agricultural inputs and equipment as part of the 2023/2024 cashew campaign, reports the local newspaper Daily News. As part of this new partnership, it is expected that private players will buy and distribute phytosanitary products and agricultural equipment to farmers before March 30, 2024. The authorities are counting in particular on the receipt by farmers of nearly 70,000 tonnes of sulfur powder to control fungi, 6.7 million bags of cashew nuts, 6,500 agricultural sprayers and several types of pesticides. Overall, the initiative is part of an executive strategy to increase the level of local nut supply to 700,000 tonnes per year from the 2025/2026 season. This year, the East African country recorded a 66% growth in its cashew nut production, thus signing a historic harvest of 400,000 tonnes and the best performance in the history of the sector since peak of 313,000 tonnes achieved in 2017/2018, according to executive data. In Tanzania, cashew nuts are mainly harvested in the Mtwara and Lindi regions, which contribute 87% to national production. The sector generates more than 10% of the country's merchandise export earnings. As a reminder, Tanzania is the second largest producer of cashew nuts in Africa behind Côte d'Ivoire and the 4th globally . https://www.agenceecofin.com/