Stakeholders in the cashew value chain strengthen their processing capacity | General news

Eighty-five actors in the value chain of cashew processing in 12 African countries are meeting in Accra to strengthen their cashew processing capacity.

The countries concerned are Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Mali, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia.

This initiative is part of efforts to harness the potential of the African cashew industry and to improve it competitively in the global market.

The data indicates that Africa produces 50% of raw cashew nuts in the global market but only 5% are processed.

The five-day training exercise has been designed as a platform for sector stakeholders to share knowledge, discuss best practices and lessons learned, and create national and regional networks for collaboration. future.

It also aims to train more experts in the African value chain of cashew processing to be agents of change in the transformation of the continent's cashew processing sector.

Opening Ceremony

At a brief opening ceremony of the training, Ms. Rita Weidinger, director of the competition cashew nut training program, originally from this training program, said that the participants, including 36 women, had been identified as potential cashew ambbadadors of various organizations in the participating countries. .

The "Cashew Competition" initiative is an initiative of the German government aimed at creating a sustainable value chain for cashew and increasing the competitiveness of cashew production and processing in Africa.

"This program offers you a unique opportunity to learn from diverse perspectives and expand your professional network beyond training.

Take advantage of all the opportunities presented at your workplace, "she told participants.

She congratulated Ghana for the progress made in improving the production of cashews and other tree crops.

She also stressed the need for African countries to intensify their efforts to transform crops in order to better exploit their financial potential for national development.

Cashew

In a speech read on his behalf, a Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr. George Oduro, said that cashew had a lot of potential for the development of the agricultural sector.

He added that although the cashew sector is relatively young and challenging, it has proven to be a very lucrative business, contributing about 53% of export earnings from non-traditional crops. in Ghana in 2018.

"It would be unwise to ignore this potential. This is part of what led to the creation of the Ghana Tree Crop Development Authority (GTCDA), which is still in the process of being enacted this year, "he said.

Mr. Oduro said Ghana's capacity-building program would facilitate the work of the GTCDA and make it more effective.

He reiterated the government's commitment to ensure the growth of the cashew industry and make it a priority crop in the country.

"It is impossible to talk about the development of the agricultural sector without mentioning the cashew value chain.

The many financial, social and economic benefits of producing and processing cashew nuts for producing countries are becoming increasingly apparent to governments and producers in the producing sector, "he said.

Cashew seedlings

Ms. Yayra Amedzro, representative of the Ghana Cashew Processors Association, thanked the Cocoa Research Institute for ensuring that cashew farmers have access to certified cashew seedlings to improve their culture.

She added that Ghana's plantation, food, export and rural development policy included numerous cashew growing activities and emphasized the need to strengthen Ghana's processing capacity in order to enhance value for money. the culture with high potential.

"Adding value will mean more money in the national basket and in the pockets of farmers, which is essential for poverty reduction," she said.