The cashew value chain has so far generated more than 20,000 jobs nationally, according to Ilídio Bande, director-general of the Mozambique National Almond Institute (INAM), at the consultation meeting on the proposed new law held on Tuesday in the city of Chimoio, Manica province.

The meeting brought together producers, traders, district government representatives, and other stakeholders from various parts of Manica province. Speaking at the meeting, Ilídio Bande also indicated that more than 1.4 million actors are currently involved in this chain at a national level.

The auscultation, according to the source, aims to adopt policies to promote cashew production, which privilege the industrialization and guarantee the security and investment of the almond sector, because, as he explained, the current legislation on the matter shows to be inadequate due to the dynamics of national and international markets.

According to Bande, the sector he heads contributes with 20% of the country's agricultural exports, hence the need and pertinence of the revision of the current legislation, in order to adapt it to the current reality, especially in what concerns production, commercialization, and exportation.

In fact, INAM's director-general took the opportunity to ask all the stakeholders for an approach to the proposal, in order to enrich it and for it to faithfully represent the national interests in this sector.

"We are with a new dynamic inside and outside the country, in which the current law that was passed in 1999 is already proving to be maladjusted, because the dynamics of the cashew crop market is great, both nationally and internationally. We will collect the opinions here and we have to continue with the process. Certainly, contributions from Manica will be valuable for the proposed objectives" - said Bande.

The meeting was attended by representatives of INAM, of the Agriculture sector, administrators and heads of the District Services of Economic Activities of Báruè, Vandúzi, Gondola, Machaze and Sussundenga, as well as cashew nut producers and traders. After the consultation carried out in Manica province, the Mozambique National Almond Institute will organize similar meetings in the provinces of Sofala, Cabo Delegado, Nampula, Zambezia, Inhambane, Gaza and Maputo-province.