National Cashew Week 17 -19 April 2007

THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF CASHEW DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA

PRESENTED BYRowland Aggor

Ghana Export Promotion Council

INTRODUCTION

Cashew has a long history as a useful plant but only in the present century has it become an important tropical tree crop. The earliest reports of cashew are from Brazil, coming from French, Portuguese and Dutch observers.

Intoduction contd…

• As is known in the cashew trade circle, cashewnut was not indigenous product of India. The cashew (Anacardium occidentale linn) ranks second only to the almond among the nine tree nuts of importance in world trade. About 400 years ago, the Portuguese brought it to Goa in India, from Brazil. The Portuguese also took it to their other colonies in Africa, Mozambique on the East Coast and Angola on the West Coast.

• From Mozambique, it spread to Tanzania and Kenya.

Earliest Developments in Ghana

• In 1960, the first Republic established cashew plantations at Dodowa, Omankope (near Kasoa) and Bole

• These were intended as cash crop cultivation development alongside the cocoa industry

• Cashew trees were planted in towns and villages in Greater Accra, Eastern, Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions as ornamental trees on school compounds, church premises and public squares

Earliest developments cont.

• After the overthrow of the first republic, the program of cashew development as a cash crop was abandoned.

Interventions by the Ghana Export Promotion Council

• Medium Term Export Development Program (1987 –1989)

� With the sponsorship of UNDP/ITC/Gov of Norway, a primary survey of cashew trees in Ghana was carried out.

• UNDP/ITC/GOG Export Trade Promotion and Planning (1990 – 1994)

� Cashew was selected alongside black pepper, mushroom and rubber for development as an export product.

� Cashew EPVs were established in Nsakaw in the Brong AhafoRegion.

GEPC’s interventions cont

• UNDP’s Export–Led Poverty Reduction Program (1998)

Objective; to create export development capacities with the view of providing opportunities for jobs and income for poverty reduction on sustainable basis.

GEPC contracted Kethab Seed Company to produce a quantity cashew seedlings that were distributed to farmers in Affram Plains and Dangwe West districts.

Trade and Investment

• HRDA/Technoserve collaboration (1997)Study Tour to EMBRAPA in Brazil

Other organizations involved in cashew development in Ghana

• Technoserve

• ADRA Ghana

• Ricerca Corporazione

Cashew Processing in Ghana

• Mr. Kofi Gyin a former PNDC Secretary for Trade & Industry brought the earliest table-top cashew processing machine for his company, Thai Tech.

• USAID assistance under TIP provided a semi-automated processing plant at Nsawkwa for the 30 farmers in the EPV in 1994/95.

• Study Tour group to Brazil brought back prototype table top processing machine that was copied for use by the cashew nut processors

Export Performance of cashew nuts (in shell) from Ghana

361,605.0541.331996

203,705.0289.011995

330,600.0600.031994

---1993

27,896.050.711992

17,400.030.011991

8,770.815.521990

Value ($)Quantity(MT)No of ExportersYEAR

Export Performance cont.

2,598,635.16,338.082003

1,450,305.93,892.172002

88,936.7418.9152001

2,552,652.13,563.6112000

3,797,623.45,571.651999

1,186,662.01,822.461998

1,844,210.43,571.651997

Value ($)Quantity (mt)No of exportersYear

Export performance cont.

11,794,82034,633.9-2006

5,235,83413,831.7-2005

18,757,61351,763.4-2004

Value ($)Quantity (mt)

No of exporters

Year

Export Performance of cashew nuts (shelled) 2004-2006

180,468328.0-2006

261,799654.9-2005

1,419,4803,600.6-2004

Value ($)Quantity (mt)No of ExportersYear

Later Developments

• AfDB funded Cashew Development Project approved in October 2002Objectives; to improve living standards of rural population by generating rural employment in order to contribute to poverty reduction and earn foreign exchange for the country.

• Thank you all for your attention!