<p></p><p>The government in collaboration with the Tanzania Cashew Nut Board (TCB) and Cashew Nut Industry Development Trust Fund (CIDTF) are in plans to construct three factories in three regions with the capacity of processing 30,000 tons of raw cashew nuts per year. <br></p> <p>The move is aimed at making sure that Tanzania exports ready processed cashew nuts to countries like India and Vietnam which are the big buyers of the crop.Speaking in Kibaha, Coast Region over the week during a stakeholders’ meeting, TCB processing manager, Simuli Yahaya said the constructions of the factories were in early stages of completion whereby they had also paid for the land and were to acquire the tittle deeds.The meeting was aimed at giving feedback and a way forward in developing the cashew nut crop in the country.According to Yahaya, the factories will be completed as soon as a tender for the business plan and a consultant were found.He mentioned the regions where the factories will be constructed as Mtwara, Ruvuma (Tunduru) and Pwani (Mkuranga). <br></p> <p>“We are expecting that upon the completion of the three factories will provide a ready market for cashew nut farmers hence boosting farmers efforts. We also want the crop to once again retain its quality and brand in the world market as it was in the previous years,” he said.He said it would also open doors to farmers who had dumped cashew nut farming to resume cultivation of the crop since there will be a ready market permanent for the farmers.Yahaya stressed that they wanted to make Tanzania a major grower as it used to be in the past before the government privatised the factories.According to him, the leading cashew nut producers in Africa was Ivory Coast with the capacity to produce over 400, 000 tones followed by Guinea Bissau (300,000 tones) and Tanzania (200,000 tones).He however said that through their project, they were also expecting to distribute at least 10 million nursery plants in ten regions where the crop was grown.In his opening remarks, Evarist Ndikilo said that joint collaboration and efforts would again open doors to cashew nut farmers in the country and allow them to benefit from the crop production. “We have to look and work on the challenges facing the sector, farmers should be given a room to attend to such meetings so as to allow them to learn better ways of cultivation and processing the crop in a manner that they were sold easily in the international market,” he urged adding that it was time for farmers to benefit from the crop cultivation and production.<br></p><p></p>