The Government of Guinea-Bissau wants to export more cashew products to China and Vietnam this year, said Baciro Dja, a spokesman for the administration.

News agency Reuters quoted Mr Dja saying the Government plans to export at least 200,000 tonnes of cashew in this year’s sales campaign, compared with about 130,000 tonnes last year. The cashew season runs from April to September.

The West African nation is the world’s seventh-biggest cashew producer, and its cashew exports account for 90 percent of the total export revenues, according to the report. The cashew industry employs over 80 percent of the country’s 1.6 million people.

Guinea-Bissau set the 2015 farm gate cashew price paid to farmers at 300 CFA francs (US$0.49) per kg, the Government announced on Monday. That is 20 percent higher than the previous year, as the Government launched a new season aimed at boosting its top export earner.