The cashew sector in Nampula province has already produced 1.3 million seedlings out of the 2.7 million planned by the Mozambique Almond Institute (IAM) for this year.

Of this total, around one million cashew seedlings have already been delivered to the productive sector, both family and commercial, which according to the IAM, in Nampula, represents a performance of 70%, compared to the same period last year.

In the 2021/2022 campaign, according to IAM data, 2.24 million seedlings were produced, an increase of 8.2 percent on the previous season.

In the current campaign, the projected target is 2.7 million to be raised in the Cunle (Ribáuè), Itoculo (Monapo) and Nassuruma (Meconta) nurseries.

To achieve these figures, the IAM decided to innovate and invest in the production of polyclonal seedlings, a plan that is already underway.

The Nampula provincial government's annual plan calls for 79,000 tons of cashew nuts to be sold this year, compared to 82,200 in the previous season.

Meanwhile, the sector has already decided that it will subject 4.1 million productive cashew trees to chemical treatment against diseases and pests and, to this end, it has 3,000 operational atomizers and 2,500 operators available.

With the introduction of this equipment, the IAM expects to be able to assist 160,714 producers of this cash crop, 152,679 of them men.

At the same time, IAM researchers in Nampula are preparing to carry out a study on cashew yields in some districts such as Meconta, Mogovolas and Monapo, where the crop has a strong presence.

"The aim of the study is to carry out a comparative assessment to identify the best product or package for pest and disease control, to check which product is suitable for each district, and to assess its quality," explained Emílio Furede, from AIM's research department.

Cashew nuts are one of the country's traditional export products and, in the latest Balance of Payments report from the Bank of Mozambique, it was reported that revenues amounted to 51.7 million US dollars, an increase of 21.6 million.