Recognizing the Accomplishments of Tanzania and Doing Business in Sub- Saharan Africa

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize recent successes in doing business in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the potential for future success in the region. Recently, I joined a host of state, local elected officials, business and community leaders in my hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, in coming together to celebrate the historic launch of TanzaNutz, the first cashew nuts grown, harvested and consumer packaged in Tanzania being exported directly for the first time from farmers in Tanzania to the U.S. marketplace. The inaugural seven-ton shipment departed the East Africa port city, Dar es Salaam, and landed in the U.S. on Friday, November 4, 2022, with all shipments arriving through the Port of New Orleans.

In celebration of establishing a sister city partner and bilateral trade agreement, this momentous occasion signals the beginning of a robust business relationship between the United Republic of Tanzania, East Africa, and United States of America, in the City of New Orleans, Louisiana. Known as the Crescent City, New Orleans was the first major market to launch TanzaNutz. In addition, the U.S. Department of Commerce works closely in presenting business opportunities in Africa. There are eight markets including Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola and Ethiopia represented with these business opportunities. Africa produces 60 percent of the World's cashew nuts and the U.S. is the largest importer of cashew nuts in the world. I was proud to join a Congressional Delegation trip (CODEL) to Tanzania and several other African nations with House Foreign Affairs Chairman, Jeffrey Meeks, exploring the growth of future export and trade opportunities, considered sub-Saharan Africa.

Tanzania is the fourth biggest producer of cashew nuts (Anacardium occidentale) in Africa and the eighth globally. Indeed, 20 percent of all cashews on the continent come from the country behind Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Guinea. The most extensive cultivation belt is along the coastline in the south of the country. Most farmers are smallholders, and they process their seeds through cooperative societies. Their source of income is mainly the export of the crop across the Indian Ocean. India imports almost all the cashews from the country. Tanzania generates up to 15 percent of its total foreign exchange from this leguminous fruit.

In appearance, the cashew fruit is dual. It has an apple fruit on top that sequesters a small, curved nut's shell at its end. Though the apple makes other culinary products, it is the small nut that measures about 1.5 inches across that is important. It is the chief source of cashew nut oil.

One of the principal reasons for poverty in Africa and the underperformance of African economies, is the export of Africa's raw materials at the lowest prices, into the global market, unrefined, without value additive processing taking place in Africa prior to export. The Congressional Black Caucus strongly supports and advocates for public and private sector policies and practices to reverse this traditional exploitative paradigm in cooperation with the Nations of Africa. The Congressional Black Caucus desires to build on plans and programs advanced by the Biden Administration and African Nations at the recent U.S.-Africa Leaders' Summit, designed to encourage greater economic self-sufficiency for Africa and cultivate a stronger trading and investing partner with the United States, and globally.

The Congressional Black Caucus unanimously approved the Tanzania Nut Resolution on Wednesday, June 7th. The Congressional Black Caucus endorses and supports the application of value additive processes taking place in the cashew markets in Tanzania, and the rest of the nations of Africa, with the aim of building agricultural product processing plants in Africa; creating millions of fair paying, safer jobs with fringe benefits for African workers; generating stable and more profitable outcomes for Africa's cashew farmers; partnering with African cashew businesses and boosting African economies across the board, while ending exploitative practices like commodity brokering, low cashew sales, and urging the end of such practices throughout the rest of the African agricultural sector.

The Congressional Black Caucus further supports the creation of large investment returns for Africans, Africans in the Diaspora, and friends of Africa's economic development and the stimulation of trade growth between Africa and the U.S. All such ways that honor the Congressional Black Caucus' collective vision for honorable prosperity for Africans, African Americans, and the American public in partnership and unity with Africa.

The Congressional Black Caucus commends Ward Holdings International for its leadership and innovation, in cooperation with the Nation of Tanzania and other African Nations, to strengthen the economies of these nations from within and to assist them in adopting and applying value-adding processes to their agricultural crops. By this resolution, we encourage like-minded companies to emulate and deliberately engage in ushering in a new dynamic of African and African American empowerment and partnership that signals tangible progress toward overcoming the sordid history of African peoples deliberately imposed disempowerment and disunity.

The Congressional Black Caucus believes that now is the time for all in the African Diaspora to make an equal commitment toward building Africa together. We declare that a strengthened Africa is a strengthened African Diaspora.

The U.S. is the world's leading importer of cashews--a growing industry. It's a mutually beneficial decision for our city to be the doorway for TanzaNutz to join the market under fair and profitable practices in the region of sub-Saharan Africa. TanzaNutz is an exciting addition to the New Orleans import family, and I'm thrilled to have played a role in welcoming you here. I'm committed to strong advocacy for New Orleans' economic development, and to continue to foster a mutually beneficial relationship with our neighbors in Tanzania.

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