CASHEW NUT PRODUCTION IN TANZANIA - CONSTRAINTS AND PROGRESS THROUGH INTEGRATED CROP MANAGEMENT

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) is the fourth most valuable Tanzani an export crop after coffee, cotton and tea. Following a steady increa se 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 b y a complex of socio-economic (low producer prices, inefficient market ing, villagisation) and biological factors (cashew powdery mildew dise ase, low tree yields, overcrowding of trees). Recently, higher cashew prices and liberalised marketing have created favourable conditions th at have encouraged farmers to tackle several of the biological constra ints on production. As a result, cashew production has risen steadily from 16,500 t in 1986 to 70,320 t in 1994. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.