CASHEW NUT growers under Mtwara, Masasi and Nanyumbu Agricultural Cooperative Union (MAMCU) in Mtwara region have finally sold off some 10,111 tonnes of raw cashew nuts in an auction conducted yesterday
The produce was billed at 2,200/ as maximum and 1,800/- minimum price per kilogramme. Last week the farmers rejected the prices offered by buyers, which could seen the cash crop being sold at 2,000/- as maximum price and 1,800/- as minimum price per kilogramme of raw cashew nuts.
Speaking shortly after accepting the prices billed by buyers at the auction, the farmers said they have decided to sell at the prices offered basing on cashew nut marketing trend in the world.
“We have decided to sell our produce because the prices billed by our buyers are based on cashew nut market trend in the world,” said one of farmers at the auction.
The farmers decided to sell their produce at the second auction for 2022/2023 trading season held in Nangaramo village, Nanyumbu district of Mtwara region.
Nanyumbu District Commissioner, Ms Mariam Chaurembo highly commended the farmers for agreeing to sell the produce, because the prices offered have taken into account the global market trends of the cash crop.
During the first auctions held on October 22 this month in Lindi and Mtwara, farmers in both regions refused to sell their produce on the basis that prices offered by buyers were too low compared to production costs.
At the auction conducted by MAMCU and Tandahimba, Newala Cooperative Union (TANECU) in Mtwara, Lindi Mwambao LUNAR cooperative unions in Lindi, the buyers billed the cashews at a maximum price of 2,200/- and 1,480 minimum price per kilogramme.
However, the farmers firmly rejected the prices, saying they do not meet the production costs incurred by farmers calling for government’s intervention in bargaining with buyers to buy the produce at a maximum price of 3000/- and minimum price of 2500/-.
Acting Director General of Cashewnut Board of Tanzania (CBT), Mr Alfred Francis, said the prices offered at the first auctions were based on cashew market trend in the globe.
He, however, said the board was committed to monitor and inform as well as providing technical advice to farmers and other stakeholders on the global prices trend in order to enable them make productive decisions.
At the first auctions, some 15,000 tonnes of row cashew nuts were availed at the auctions and later were returned back to the warehouses awaiting next auctions that were conducted on Friday.
