<p>The record level of the cashew nut harvest this year in Guinea-Bissau has cushioned the economic impact of the political crisis affecting the Portuguese-speaking West African nation, said the country’s former finance minister.Geraldo Martins, who was finance minister before the government’s resignation over a month ago, said that exports had already reached 170,000 tons, beating the previous record set in 2011.This new performance comes at a time when the price of cashew nuts is higher.“If the current political crisis has a solution in the coming weeks, the economic impact will be minimal,” he told the Reuters news agency, referring to the fact that the country has been without a government for 36 days.Forecasts for the cashew season in Guinea-Bissau point to production of 200,000 tons.<br></p>