Farmers sit around a pile of harvested cashew fruit in Imekua village near Mtwara city, southeastern Tanzania, Sept. 24, 2020.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

A farmer shows harvested cashew fruit in Imekua village near Mtwara city, southeastern Tanzania, Sept. 24, 2020.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
Tanzania plans to boost production of cashew fruit by distributing about 15 million seedlings of the crop to farmers, a move aimed at increasing production of the cash crop from the current 300,000 metric tons annually to 700,000 metric tons annually by 2030, an official said Wednesday.

Francis Alfred, the acting director general of the Cashewnut Board of Tanzania, said the tree seedlings will be distributed freely to farmers to encourage them to increase production of the crop.

"Boosting production of the crop is possible if farmers improve areas of cultivation of the crop," said Alfred, adding that farmers will also be trained on the best practices of cultivating the crop.