Cashew nut production in Tanzania: Constraints and progress through integrated crop management

Abstract

Cashew ( Anacardium occidentale L.) is the fourth most valuable Tanzanian export crop after coffee, cotton and tea. Following a steady increase in production from the middle of this century, there was a dramatic decline from 145,000 t in 1973 to 16,500 t in 1986. This was caused by a complex of socio-economic (low producer prices, inefficient marketing, villagisation) and biological factors (cashew powdery mildew disease, low tree yields, overcrowding of trees). Recently, higher cashew prices and liberalised marketing have created favourable conditions that have encouraged farmers to tackle several of the biological constraints on production. As a result, cashew production has risen steadily from 16,500 t in 1986 to 70,320 t in 1994.