Tanzania: A new production record and a strong ambition for processing
The Tanzanian cashew sector confirms its dynamism and is one of the most promising on the continent. The country’s leading cash crop ahead of sugar, cotton, tobacco and coffee, cashew nuts occupy a strategic place in the Tanzanian national economy.
For the 2025/2026 season, Tanzania recorded a production of 617,683 tons of raw nuts, an increase of nearly 17% compared to the previous season (528,263 tons). This result is a historically high level and consolidates the recovery trajectory initiated after the decline in the 2022/2023 campaign, which saw volumes fall by 20%.
Momentum supported by proactive public policies
This performance is largely due to the commitment of the Tanzania Cashew Council (CBT), which has intensified its actions in favour of the productive apparatus: distribution of seedlings for the renewal and extension of plantations, subsidies for agricultural inputs, and strengthening of pest control. In April 2026, the CBT launched a new subsidy program targeting nearly 550,000 farmers in the main producing regions — Mtwara, Lindi and Tanga.
These efforts allow Tanzania, currently the world’s 4th largest producer behind Côte d’Ivoire, India and Cambodia, to gradually reduce the gap with the leaders in the sector. The authorities have set an ambitious target: to reach 1 million tonnes by 2030, with an intermediate stage of 750,000 tonnes from the 2026/2027 season.
Towards a ramp-up in transformation
While more than 90% of Tanzania’s production is still exported in raw form – mainly to India and Vietnam via an auction system – the country now intends to accelerate its transition to local processing.
With this in mind, the authorities are deploying an industrial strategy structured around parks dedicated to cashew nuts. The emblematic site of Maranje, in the Mtwara region, is the most concrete illustration of this: located on 636 hectares, this specialised economic centre will host several shelling and processing units, with a set of attractive incentives for investors (provision of land, connections to the networks, tax advantages).
The goal set by CBT Director General Alfred Francis is clear: by 2030, at least 60% of cashew nuts produced in Tanzania will need to be processed locally.
The CICC welcomes the momentum driven by Tanzania and reaffirms its commitment to support member countries in their sustainable and competitive development within the global cashew sector.
