Tanzania hosts second session of Cashew MTP in East Africa

East Africa marked another milestone in cashew sector development as the second session of the 20^th Cashew Master Training Programme (MTP) concludes in Mtwara, Tanzania. Held from 23^rd to 27^th June 2025, the session brought together 58 participants from eight East African countries: Burundi, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

This session builds on the first, also hosted in Tanzania in March 2025, making this the first MTP edition taking place entirely in East Africa. While session 1 introduced participants to the cashew value chain and market dynamics, session 2 focused on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), with emphasis on pest and disease management, key constraints affecting productivity in the region.

In addition to classroom sessions, participants visited the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) research station in Naliendele. The field trip offered firsthand exposure to ongoing research and innovations in improved planting materials, pest management, and farm productivity techniques.

The session was officially opened on Monday, 23^rd June 2025 by the Regional Commissioner of Mtwara, Hon. Col. Patrick Sawala. He emphasized the importance of the cashew sector to Tanzania’s economic development and applauded the African Cashew Alliance (ACA), the GIZ/MOVE and key partners including the European Union (EU), the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the East African Community (EAC) for their continued support in making the programme a success.

The Director General of the Cashew nuts Board of Tanzania (CBT), Mr. Alfred Francis, said the MTP comes at a strategic time when the government is investing heavily in the cashew sector, particularly in boosting production and local processing.

“For the past four years, we have been providing subsidies to farmers for pest and disease control while also promoting local processing. We are now seeing real improvements,” he noted.

He further stated that hosting the MTP in East Africa will help consolidate these gains. “This programme will produce experts with a deep understanding of the cashew value chain. The MTP is critical to Tanzania’s plan of achieving one million tons of cashew production by 2030”.

The Managing Director of the ACA, Mr. Ernest Mintah, praised the enthusiasm and commitment of both participants and partners towards the MTP. “This confirms the region’s readiness to take ownership of the MTP and its cashew development journey,” he said.  He emphasized that the knowledge shared in the session will be essential in helping to address key production challenges across the subregion.

“With emerging climate related risks in cashew production, the knowledge shared in this second session of the MTP will be critical, not only to participants but also to the farmers and institutions they serve,” Mr. Mintah said.

The 20th Edition of the MTP will conclude with its third and final session in Kenya, scheduled for September 2025. That session will focus on cashew harvest and post-harvest handling, value addition through cashew processing as well as cross-cutting issues on the cashew industry.