Bono Regional Minister-designate, Justina Owusu-Banahene
The Bono Regional Minister-designate, Justina Owusu-Banahene, has pledged to advocate a better pricing regime for cashew, if given the nod.
She explained that the current poor pricing regime negatively impacts farmers and production, adding that advocating for a pricing regime will bring back the interest of many cashew farmers.
The Bono Region is noted for growing cashew, and some farmers within the catchment areas have called on the government to expedite action on giving full meaning to the establishment of Tree Crops Development Authority.
This they believe will, among other things, curtail the activities of middlemen that serve as a disincentive to the farmers.
“The problem with cashew now is the pricing is not static, unlike cocoa which has COCOBOD and has a static price. When you look at cashew, the buyers from left and right enter the area and just buy the cashew as they want. Therefore, it is affecting the farmers and people’s interest in the cashew production is reducing,” she said.
Madam Owusu-Banahene made this known when she appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
Cashew farming in Ghana
In 2020, cashew was Ghana’s leading non-traditional export. According to the Ghana Export Promotions Authority, cashew fetched the country $981 million in 2018.
The Jaman North District of the Bono Region is the hub of cashew cultivation in the country, with over 20,000 farmers.
In 2020, farmers pegged their prices at GHC8 per 1 Kilogram of cashew leading to disagreements with buyers.
The buying season for cashew starts in January every year.
