[ 2021-03-05 ]

Poor cashew pricing affecting production - Minister
The Bono Regional Minister-designate, Justina
Owusu-Banahene, has stated that the existing poor
pricing regime for cashew is negatively affecting
the production of the cash crop in the country.

According to her, conditions of cashew farmers
have been worse off as a result of the absence of
a pricing regime and the role of intermediaries
for the non-traditional export product.

President Akufo-Addo last year inaugurated the
Ghana Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) to
develop and promote the tree crops with
consequential benefits to be accrued to the
country.

He explained that the TCDA was the government’s
strategy to promote the development of tree crops,
other than cocoa, intimating that the authority
would lead the nation’s agenda for the
diversification of Ghana’s agriculture by
developing the tree crops sector.

Taking her turn at the vetting of the Appointments
Committee of Parliament, Mrs. Owusu-Banahene
pledged her commitment to take a lead role in
pushing for a pricing regime for cashew nuts when
given the nod.

For her, the current situation “is affecting the
farmers and people’s interest in the cashew
production” which she noted was reducing.

She said the introduction of the pricing regime
would pave the way for the farmers to be
well-to-do and develop an interest in cashew
farming, thereby cutting back the activities of
intermediaries who are profit-oriented.

The Bono East, Bono, and the Ahafo regions, seen
as one of the most vital breadbaskets, have been
converted into cashew nut production to feed
export markets.

This is to position Ghana as one of the largest
producers of raw cashew nuts in Africa, and cashew
nut production has increased fourfold across the
continent since 2000.
Join our Newsletter

Source - Ghanaweb

... go Back