CASHEWNUT Board of Tanzania (CBT) has organised cashew Marathon to mobilise and raise money for purchasing desks for students in public schools for the southern regions of Lindi and Mtwara Regions.
The money to be collected in the 21 kilometres race will also be used to purchase cashew processing machines for small scale cashew processing groups in Mtwara and Lindi Regions.
CBT Director General Alfred Francis said here that Korosho Marathon targets to raise a total of 100m/-.
It will be held on September 2, this year at Nagwanda Sijaona grounds in Mtwara Town.
“The money will be used to purchase cashew processing machines for small scale processing groups as well as support education in Mtwara and Lindi through buying desks,” he said.
The Korosho Marathon themed ‘Eat Cashew, Be Health’ is expected to attract over 1500 runners from inside and outside the country.
“This is the second time we are organising such a marathon with the aim to promote investment opportunities available in the country’s cashew industry,” he said.
The marathon also focuses on encouraging local consumption and use of cashew by products such as juice , cashew milk , wine, ethanol and cashew shell liquid.
The CBT boss said the marathon will also open opportunities for local and foreign investors looking for areas to develop viable business ventures in the cashew industry.
“We are planning to organise the Korosho Marathon each cashew farming season to open room discussion over opportunities available in the cashew industry right from production, processing and marketing to increase investment in the industry especially in the processing and marketing sector in the country,” he said.
The government is determined to increase domestic processing capacity to 60 per cent come 2023/2026 to create sustainable impact in the cashew industry.
The Cashew Board is also targeting to increase production to 700,000 tonnes come 2026.
Cashew is the foreign currency highest earning crop in the country. Available data show that the cashewnut generated 226.9 million USD dollars in 2021/2022 season.
