ANSAF allocates US$350,000 to boost women-led cashew processing in Tanzania 

TANZANIA – The Agricultural Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF) has committed Tsh 923.45 million (US$350,000) to support 1,000 smallholder farmers in the cashew value chain across Mtwara and Lindi regions.  

The funding is part of the “Women’s Empowerment through Collective Cashew Processing and Marketing for Improved Livelihoods in Southern Tanzania” (CASH-WIN) project, aimed at enhancing local processing capabilities and improving farmers’ livelihoods. 

ANSAF Executive Director Ikunda Terry stated that the project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation under the “Beyond Collective Farming” (BFC) program. 

Tanzania’s female workforce plays a crucial role in agriculture, with 81 percent of women engaged in the sector—well above the 55 percent regional average in sub-Saharan Africa. Women participate in various stages of agriculture, including farming, processing, value addition, and marketing.  

Recognizing their role, ANSAF is empowering women processors by providing capacity-building activities, financial inclusion opportunities, improved market access, and strengthening stakeholder collaboration. 

Cashew farming is a key pillar of Tanzania’s agricultural economy, involving over 600,000 smallholder farmers. The country produces over 300,000 metric tons of raw cashew nuts (RCN) annually, with Mtwara, Lindi, and Ruvuma contributing approximately 80 percent of production.  

Despite generating US$1 billion from cashew exports, about 87 percent of Tanzania’s cashew nuts are exported in raw form, highlighting an untapped opportunity for local processing and value addition, especially for women in the sector. 

The Cashew Board of Tanzania (CBT) aims to increase cashew production to 1 million metric tons and process 100 percent of RCN locally by 2030.  

However, outdated technology, market access limitations, and inefficiencies pose challenges to achieving this goal.  

To address these issues, ANSAF has partnered with KITAMA and WAKORU—cashew farmer processor associations in Tandahimba and Ruangwa—to enhance processing capacity, improve financial inclusion, and develop markets. 

As part of the CASH-WIN initiative, ANSAF is investing in infrastructure development, including renovating and equipping two cashew processing centers and constructing a new cashew processing facility with modern processing machines.  

Additionally, Tanzania has announced plans to build four new cashew processing factories by the 2025/26 season.  

These include a factory in Maranje Industrial Cluster (Mtwara Rural), two factories in Tandahimba and Newala under the Tanzania National Cashew Cooperative Union (Tanecu), and a processing plant by Tunduru Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Union (TAMCU). 

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