DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced in parliament on Thursday that the government released the final 40 billion Tanzanian shillings (about 17 million U.S. dollars) it owed cashew nuts farmers for the previous buying season of the cash crop.

"Treasury has already released 40 billion shillings to agricultural and marketing cooperative societies for paying arrears to the remaining farmers," he told the House in the capital Dodoma.

Majaliwa made the statement when he was responding to Sikuzani Chiambo, a Member of Parliament on Special Seats for Women, who asked why it took too long for the government to pay the farmers after it had promised to buy all cashew nuts in the previous buying season.

Majaliwa said currently farmers in various parts of the country were receiving their payments from cooperative societies.

On November 13, 2018 President John Magufuli declared that the government will be the sole buyer of cashew nuts produced by farmers in Lindi and Mtwara regions.

The decision made by the government locked out private companies from buying cashew nuts and raised the farm gate price for a kilogram to 3, 300 Tanzanian shillings.

President Magufuli directed the Tanzania Agriculture Development Bank to provide funds for the purchase of about 200,000 tonnes of cashew nuts harvested last season. Enditem

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