In the bustling coastal trade hubs of Mozambique, the sharp, distinctive aroma of raw cashew nuts carries more than just commercial weight it carries history. For decades, the humble cashew has stood as an undisputed titan of the nation’s agrarian identity, and performance data from the first half of 2026 confirms that reality. Mozambican agricultural exports brought in US$108.5 million (€92.8 million) a steady 5% rise over the US$103.2 million (€88.3 million) recorded in the same period of 2025. Commanding more than three-quarters of that entire pie were raw cashew nuts, which alone generated US$82.9 million (€70.9 million).
Yet beneath these formidable top-line numbers lies a complex narrative of market recalibration. The US$82.9 million figure actually reflects a 17.7% contraction from the US$100.7 million (€86.1 million) generated in the first half of 2025. In volume terms, shipments dipped slightly from 74,664 tonnes down to 73,391 tonnes. Heavyweight buyer markets in Vietnam and India, closely followed by regional powerhouse South Africa, remained the primary destinations, keeping local processing floors and export docks humming.
While cashews continue to anchor the balance sheet, Mozambique’s agricultural basket is rapidly diversifying. Macadamia nuts emerged as the second most lucrative export, securing US$19 million (€16.2 million) driven by robust demand from Vietnam and China. Sesame seeds added another US$16.8 million (€14.4 million) to state coffers primarily destined for Chinese shores while soya beans contributed US$4.6 million (€3.9 million). Cotton fibre delivered a breakout performance, nearly doubling in export value from US$2.5 million (€2.1 million) to US$4.2 million (€3.6 million), propelled by buyers in Bangladesh, Dubai, and Switzerland.
To safeguard these vital revenues and fix longstanding operational bottlenecks, the Mozambican Government enacted a major regulatory overhaul, approving a comprehensive suite of new rules for the cashew value chain. The updated framework operationalizes the landmark Cashew Act of 2023, formally repealing an outdated regime in place since 2018. The new regulations establish precise, standardized guidelines governing every link in the chain from cultivation, drying, and packaging to transport, domestic processing, export, and import.
“The proposed regulation is relevant and crucial for strengthening the competitiveness of the cashew value chain in its entirety and of the country in the global cashew market,” declared the Government following the measure’s approval.
This regulatory modernization forms the tactical spine of Maputo’s ambitious 2025–2034 Cashew Value Chain Development Programme. Valued at US$374 million (€320 million), the ten-year master plan aims to orchestrate a dramatic production surge scaling annual harvests from current levels of 158,000 tonnes to a staggering 689,000 tonnes by 2034. To achieve this, the government plans to expand direct support from 230,000 smallholders to over 600,000 producers, scale local industrial processing capacity from 40,000 to more than 482,000 tonnes, and roll out comprehensive digital tracking tools across the supply chain.
The ambition is fueled by a rich industrial heritage. Recent data from the Ministry of Agriculture reveals that cashew marketing for the 2024/2025 season reached roughly 195,400 tonnes flirting with historical peaks last witnessed prior to independence. Back in 1973, Mozambique stood as the world’s second-largest exporter of processed cashews, churning out 210,000 tonnes and trailing only India. Though political upheaval following independence in 1975 saw output plummet to a precarious 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes annually, decades of systematic restoration are bearing fruit. With fresh capital, modern oversight, and expanding global footprint, Mozambique is making it clear that its cashew legacy is not just a story of past glory, but the engine of its future economy.
