SNV introduces technology to improve shea business in Ghana

The Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) has launched the SNV Shea Roller Technology to help eliminate or reduce the drudgery associated with sheanuts collection and to support the operators to work under safe environment.

The launch of the roller formed part of the overall strategy of the SNV to make the shea value chain more efficient, equitable and sustainable for the low income actors (women) in the northern part of the country.

The technology reduces the need for the wearing of protective hand gloves, avoids direct contact with weeds that cause itching of the skin as well as eliminates bending down to pick nuts.

Dr Adriaan de Jager, the Country Director of SNV, who performed the launch at Ticheli, a community in the Tamale Metropolis, said it also reduced the incidence of snake bites, because snakes were often not sighted under a weedy sheanut tree.

He said, “With this technology more nuts are collected within a specified time compared to the manual collection of sheanuts by hand, thereby improving time management and workload.”

He said the technology was piloted in some communities where massive results were achieved.

He said SNV was working to ensure the availability of the technology for use during the next sheanut picking season.

Mr Abass Karim Nyo, the Coordinator of Agriculture at the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), said SADA was ready to partner SNV to promote the technology to address the challenges associated with picking of the nuts.

Some of the women who used the technology during the pilot process said it helped to pick large quantities of sheanuts in a short time ensuring that they had more time to undertake other activities.

Source: GNA