RC directs cashew exports via Mtwara

MTWARA: MTWARA’S Regional Commissioner, Colonel Patrick Sawala, has reinstated a directive requiring all cashew nuts stored in warehouses to be swiftly exported through the Mtwara Port.

This strategic move is aimed at streamlining the export process, ensuring efficiency and boosting the region’s role in the global cashew trade.

The RC reinstated the directives, issued by President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the end of the week when he visited Mtwara Port to inspect and verify the port’s capacity to handle the export of the crop.

“The port authority is implementing President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s directive and we are committed to upholding the order to ensure these instructions are followed suit,” he said during the tour of inspection.

He commended Mtwara Port for its proactive preparations, noting that efforts to prepare the port for the new cashew season had begun immediately after the previous season ended. As a result, the port now has the capacity to handle up to 500,000 tonnes of cashew exports annually.

Additionally, the regional government inspected the cashew stuffing area and confirmed it has sufficient capacity, with workers operating around the clock to meet demand. “In short, the port has the full capacity to ship cashews to international markets,” he said.

During the last season, Mtwara Port shipped 253,000 tonnes of cashew nuts to the global market. The Mtwara Port Manager, Mr Ferdinand Nyathi, said that the port is equipped with robust systems to ensure reliable operations.

“A ship is currently being serviced, expected to load 600 containers and depart the next day, making room for other vessels to load cashews,” he said.

The port has a handling capacity of 2.0 million metric tonnes per year and can accommodate vessels of up to 240 metres long, with sufficient draft depth for any large ship. President Samia who visited Mtwara last September instructed that all cashew harvests from the southern regions be transported through Mtwara Port.

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Mr Nyathi said they are committed to making Mtwara Port a key gateway for cashew exports and other cargo from southern Tanzania and beyond.

Cashew Board of Tanzania (CBT) Director General, Mr Francis Alfred said that the 2024/25 season has begun successfully and is now in its seventh week.

“I visited to assess whether the 238,000 tonnes could be shipped and I found that there are enough ships available for transport,” he said.

So far, cashew production and sales have reached 261,796,808 tonnes, valued at 999bn/-, while farmers have earned a total of 879.699bn/-.

Last year, they reached 310,000 tonnes and they expect to surpass that this season, thanks to the efficient operations at Mtwara Port. So far, some 157.8bn/- has been invested in constructing a new 300-metrelong berth at Mtwara Port.

This berth, with a water depth of 13 metres, is capable of accommodating ships up to 230 metres long and handling bulk carriers with a deadweight capacity of up to 65,000 tonnes.

The new infrastructure includes a 75,807-squaremetre yard that can store up to 8,600 twenty-foot containers annually.

Mtwara Port’s cargo handling capacity has grown significantly in recent years. In the 2023/24, the port handled 1,727,261 tonnes and the target for this fiscal year is 1,701,000 tonnes.

In the 2022/23, the port handled 1.629 million metric tonnes of cargo, a massive increase compared to the 106,170 tonnes recorded in the 2018/19.