President for the Cashew Farmers Association of Ghana who doubles as the paramount chief of the Wenchi Traditional Area in the Brong Ahafo Region, Nana Boampong Nsem VI has applauded the Cashew Development Plan launched by the government through the Ghana Export Promotion Authority and the Cashew Industrial Association as a step in the right direction which will focus on boosting production and job creation in the country.
The president who is also the 2004/2012 National Best Cashew Farmer said the development plan if well implemented under successive governments will create massive employment to thousands of people across all the value chain which as a result could reduce the rate of unemployment in the country.
The chief who made the remarks in an interview with Rite news on the heels of government’s launch of the cashew development plan appreciated cashew’s role as a leading non-traditional export commodity.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo launched a comprehensive development plan for Ghana’s cashew industry on February, 20th 2018 at Wenchi in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The plan, he said, shall take into account government’s support for the country’s cashew industry and the required infrastructure for the sector.
The President explained that the development plan was in line with his administration’s plans to support the production, marketing and sale of cashew nuts nationwide.
According to Nana Boampong Nsem VI, the country stands to benefit from improved income if more attention is focused on cashew improvement.
“If much attention is focused on the cashew sector, more income will be generated to keep the economy formidable through foreign exchange after cashew exports by the country and that’s why the Export Promotion Authority has adopted its production,” he said.
He added that every component of the cashew value chain will be touched including production which remains the current target of the Cashew Farmers Association of Ghana.
Ghana’s Cashew production remains low at 70,000 metric tonnes.
The cashew farmers’ president therefore expressed the preparedness of the association to provide proper planting materials to farmers which he added is the first focus in the plan. This is to enable them expand their farms and the farmers will soon be supplied with more than 20,000 seedlings to turn the face of the sector for the better.
He said the scheme will also seek the financial needs of the farmers by providing soft loans with low interest rate to the farmers through the loan secured from Exim Bank.
Other focus areas of the plan which includes processing, storage, exportation and consumption will also target the creation of more jobs for the people especially the youth.
This, the chief ascribed to the “high demand” of cashew production which the association is unable to meet.
He described cashew in Ghana as the best in the sub-Sahara region in terms of quality which has drawn the attention of developed countries to Ghana.
In Ghana, it is estimated that there are more than 300,000 farmers, who are directly engaged in cashew cultivation.
President of the Ghana Cashew Industry Association, Winfred Osei Owusu, is quoted as saying that the total export revenue realized from cashew in 2016 was US$244,500,000, making the commodity the leading non-traditional commodity.
According to available statistics, the country produces between 50,000 to 70, 0000mt of raw cashew nuts annually.
BACKGROUND
President Akuffo Addo in launching the cashew development plan said the plan shall take into account government’s support for the country’s cashew industry and the required infrastructure for the sector.
The President explained that the development plan was in line with his administration’s plans to support the production, marketing and sale of cashew nuts nationwide.
He wondered why Ghana cannot develop its cashew industry to generate significant revenue just like neighbouring country, Cote d’Ivoire.
By Austin Ofori Addo/ritefmonline.org/austinofori.addo@gmail.com
