Mozambique: Cashew Nuts Smuggling Causes 457 Million Meticais Loss

What the report says

Mozambique’s government says cashew nut smuggling has cost the country 457 million meticais, or about 7.2 million US dollars, over the past three years, according to a report by AIM distributed through AllAfrica. Agriculture Minister Roberto Albino raised the issue in Maputo at the first session of the Cashew Committee, saying an estimated 35,000 tonnes of cashews were diverted through illegal trade during that period.

Albino argued that the problem should be treated more seriously, calling for tougher measures against smugglers and saying the practice should be criminalized rather than handled only as an administrative violation. He also urged stronger involvement from justice institutions and legal advisers to identify cases tied to the diversion of public resources and revenue for possible criminal proceedings.

The minister said the losses go beyond unpaid taxes and lost sales. Because cashews are exported through formal channels, smuggling also reduces Mozambique’s foreign-exchange earnings. He specifically cited trade flows to markets such as India and Vietnam, and said better accountability was needed for those involved in the illegal trade.

As a possible response, Albino called for digitalizing cashew marketing operations to improve traceability and make it harder for the crop to be diverted into smuggling channels. The issue matters because cashew is one of Mozambique’s important agricultural export products, and persistent smuggling can weaken both state revenue and the sector’s formal supply chain.