Mozambique has increased the reference prices for cashew nut exports for the 2025/26 season, with top grades rising by as much as 19 percent, the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries announced on Wednesday.
The new rates were approved during a session of the Almond Committee held Tuesday in Maputo. Cashew nuts of 46-pound quality will now sell at US$1,250 (1,074 euros) per tonne, a 19 percent increase. The 53-pound grade was set at US$1,440 (1,237 euros) per tonne, up 13.5 percent, in line with international market trends, the ministry said.
The meeting was chaired by Ilídio Bande, Director-General of the Mozambican Almond Institute, and brought together 40 participants, including representatives of the Association of Cashew Industrials, the Nampula Commercial and Industrial Association, the National Union of Agro-industrial Workers and other actors along the value chain.
Authorities agreed that exports will officially begin on December 19 to ensure adequate supply to domestic processors. The government expects export volumes of around 60,000 tonnes this season, with 45,000 tonnes already committed.
Mozambique is pursuing an ambitious US$374-million(322-million-euro) investment plan to overhaul the sector and boost annual output from 158,000 tonnes today to 689,000 tonnes by 2034. The programme, unveiled in October, aims to strengthen research, extension services, marketing networks and processing capacity, the ministry said.
“Cashew nuts are a product of social cohesion and a promoter of food and nutritional security. We encourage their inclusion in school feeding programmes and restaurant menus,” Agriculture Minister Roberto Albino said.
Under the 2025–2034 Cashew Value Chain Development Programme, the government plans to reform implementation mechanisms and expand support to producers from 230,000 today to more than 600,000. Processing capacity is projected to jump from 40,000 tonnes to more than 482,000 tonnes, alongside a push to digitise sector operations.
The plan also seeks to strengthen partnerships among farmers, processors and exporters, while reducing the need for state intervention. “We intend for the cashew industry to operate without significant state interventions,” Albino said.
Cashew remains one of Mozambique’s most important traditional exports. The country earned US$38.7 million (33 million euros) from cashew shipments in the first quarter of the year, maintaining its position as a top agricultural export, according to government data.
The latest production figures confirm a steady recovery in the sector. In the 2024/25 campaign, cashew commercialization reached around 195,400 tonnes approaching levels last seen in the 1970s, when Mozambique was among the world’s top producers.
Fifty years ago, during the colonial period, national production exceeded 200,000 tonnes annually. In 1973, Mozambique processed 210,000 tonnes, making it the world’s second-largest producer after India, which was also the main buyer of Mozambican cashew.
More on Mozambique Cashew
Mozambique’s cashew sector has been recovering strongly after decades of decline following independence in 1975, when production fell sharply from more than 200,000 tonnes annually to just 15,000–20,000 tonnes. In recent years output has steadily climbed, with sales in the 2024/25 season reaching around 195,400 tonnes, approaching levels last seen in the 1970s. Government projections indicate production could rise by about 23% to 218,900 tonnes in 2025, with the area under cultivation expanding significantly.
