Cashew nuts continue to rise as one of the main drivers of Mozambique’s trade balance. In the first quarter of 2025, exports reached 38.7 million dollars, surpassing the 34.3 million dollars recorded in the same period of 2024, according to data from the Bank of Mozambique.
With this performance, cashew overtook products such as tobacco, vegetables, bananas and even rubies, establishing itself as the most exported among the so-called traditional products.
The Government estimates that cashew nut production will grow by 23% this year, reaching 218,900 tonnes, with the cultivated area increasing by 26%, to 64,000 hectares, compared with 50,600 hectares in the previous season. In parallel, significant investments are planned: the distribution of 6.67 million cashew tree seedlings and the chemical treatment of 9.27 million trees against pests, in a programme valued at 90 million meticais.
The recent performance continues a cycle of strong expansion. In 2024 alone, revenue from cashew exports grew by 71%, reaching 98.2 million dollars – a historic record. In 2023, the sector had already reached 57.3 million dollars and in 2022 51.7 million dollars. In 2021, the figure stood at 30 million dollars.
Domestic marketing is also following this momentum. In the last season, Mozambique reached 195,400 tonnes, approaching the record of the 1970s, when the country was among the world’s largest producers. In 1973 alone, for example, 210,000 tonnes were processed, placing Mozambique as the second largest producer, behind only India.
After independence, in 1975, production fell abruptly to less than 10% of the previous volume – about 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes a year –, but official data confirm a continuous recovery over recent decades.
Today, the cashew sector involves 1,047,000 families, 69 companies and 7,287 workers, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries. In Maputo province alone, 32,168 families take part, with the region establishing itself as a centre of consumption and an engine of new business opportunities.
Five decades after independence, cashew reasserts itself not only as a vital cash crop for rural communities, but also as a symbol of Mozambique’s ability to regain agricultural prominence on the international stage, even under the challenges posed by climate change.
