More cashew nut processing plants are coming on stream as volumes of the traditional crop continue to increase. Two new factories are under construction in the Macia, Gaza and Massinga districts of Inhambane.
They will be able to process around 10 000 tons of cashews a year. One is owned by Mozambican and Portuguese investors and the other by Vietnamese investors. This will bring the total to 17 cashew processing plants, according to the director of the Cashew Development Institute (Incaju). Ilídio Bande told Mozambican daily newspaper Notícias in Maputo that there were 15 factories in operation, which together have the capacity to process 80 000 tons of cashews per year.
However, he continued, the 15 units were processing only 48 000 to 50 000 tons a year at present. Cashew nut production in Mozambique in 2017 was around 137 000 tons, and the goal is to reach 180 000 tons by 2020.
In the 1970s, Mozambique produced 200 000 tons of cashews a year. About half of the crop will be processed in Mozambique, according to official estimates.
