Mtwara Port to handle all cashew shipments this season

DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA’s deepest port, Mtwara, is ready to handle all cashewnut shipments for export this season, the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) has announced.

This is in response to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s directives that the port should be the only gateway to transport all the cashews from the southern regions of Tanzania by ship abroad according to the needs of customers and stakeholders.

While on her tour of Mtwara Region in November last year, President Samia emphasized that the port should be responsible for transporting all the cashews from the southern regions, and that the use of other ports should require authorization from the Regional Commissioner.

Mtwara Port Manager, Ferdinand Nyathi, said that following the improvement of the port’s infrastructure it is now ready to handle all cashew shipments this season.

“Last season, after the President’s directive, we were able to export 253,000 tonnes of cashews and handle 28 ships. This year, we are even more prepared to manage the cashew harvests. In short, we are ready,” Nyathi assured the public  while speaking to the press yesterday.

He explained that the port’s preparations have been strengthened with the acquisition of new equipment, including two mobile cranes, an empty container handler machine, reach stackers, and modern tugboats.

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“This equipment have significantly improved the port’s container handling capacity and positioned us better to transport all the cashews which Tanzania will export this season,” he said.

Since the cashew sales season has already begun, 3,700 containers are ready at the port to handle the cashew export.

Nyathi added that in collaboration with the private sector, which owns Inland Container Depots (ICDs), the port has an additional 800 containers available for use. The loading of cashews into containers is ongoing.

The improvements at Mtwara Port are a good news for cashew farmers, who have seen an increase in prices in recent auctions.

For example, in the first auction held on October 11, organized by the Tandahimba and Newala Cooperative Union (Tanecu), 3,857 metric tonnes of raw cashews were sold at prices ranging from 4,035/- to 4,120/- per kilogramme.

The second auction, held on October 12 and organized by the Lindi Mwamba Cooperative Union (LMCU), 6,435 metric tonnes of cashews were sold at the prices ranging from 3,400/- to 3,865/- per kilogramme.

To attract more exporters, Nyathi announced that the port has waived all storage fees for cashew containers for the entire sales season.

“Previously, container storage was free for a specific period, after which storage fees would apply. However, for this season, storage is completely free for the entire cashew season,” he explained.

He assured that the management of cashew shipments would not affect other cargo operations at the port, including items like charcoal and cement.

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“We expect three more ships to arrive at the port this week, carrying additional containers,” he said.

He emphasized that the Port of Mtwara is strategically located for TPA clients in the southern regions and neighboring countries, noting that the upgrades have been made possible by significant government investment in recent months.

A total of 157.8bn/- was invested in the construction of a new 300-meter-long berth at the Port of Mtwara. This berth, with a water depth of 13 metrers, can accommodate ships up to 230 metrers in length and handle large vessels weighing up to 65,000 tonnes.

The new infrastructure includes an area of 75,807 square meters that can accommodate up to 8,600 twenty-feet containers equivalent units (TEUs) annually.

The cargo handling capacity at the Port of Mtwara has significantly increased in recent years. In the 2022/2023 financial year, the port handled 1.629 million tonnes of cargo, a substantial increase compared to the 106,170 tonnes recorded in the 2018/2019 financial year.