The high cost of production, aggravated by the low quality and limited availability of cashew nuts in shell, is the root cause of the sector's poor competitiveness on the international market, which discourages investment in this area.

This is the conclusion of a study carried out by Salvador Namburete, Mozambique's former energy minister (2005/2015), in his doctoral thesis in Applied Business Management at the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE), on the 22nd of this month.

For the academic, there are several main factors with a negative impact on production costs, among which he highlights the shortage of labor, limited skills and low land productivity.

In order to meet this challenge, the study points to several paths to be taken in a partnership between cashew sector companies and other private and public institutions.

Salvador Namburete, quoted by the newspaper Domingo, said there was an urgent need to promote social recognition of the needs of plantation workers as a way of overcoming the labor shortage.

It also points to the need to establish programs for skills development, as a way of attracting the younger generation to the cashew industry, increasing soil fertility levels by rehabilitating it using compost, research and investigation by educational institutions and beyond in order to develop fast-growing cashew trees that can have a longer and more sustainable life.

According to the same study, this industry must move from short-term opportunities to long-term strategies, and must build competitive positions through quality and brand reputation.