Government will support cashew farmers – President Mahama

Government will support cashew farmers to achieve their production levels to ensure the availability of the crop for both domestic industries and for export, President John Dramani has said.

He said plans were also underway to rope in the Ghana Export and Import (Exim) Bank which would be established within the year to assist the farmers to harness their potentials in the commodity.

President Mahama announced this when a delegation of cashew farmers from the Brong Ahafo Region called on him at the Flagstaff House, Kanda.

The farmers, from seven districts of the region and led by Mr Eric Opoku, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, were at the Presidency to appeal to President Mahama to set up a board for cashew farmers and withdraw the suspended policy that was to ban the export of cashew from Ghana.

President Mahama said in line with his government’s commitment to diversify the traditional cash crops and export commodities, alternatives such as coffee and cashew would be supported to supplement the performance of cocoa and gold.

He said the Ministry of Trade and Industry would soon engage the cashew farmers and processors to find lasting solutions to their challenges in the cashew industry.

Odeneho Dr Afram Brempong III, Paramount chief of the Suma Traditional area, who spoke on behalf of the farmers appealed to President Mahama to establish a scholarship scheme for children of cashew farmers.

He said the scheme should be focused on only children of cashew farmers, unlike the unfortunate misdirection of cocoa scholarships to ‘aliens’ in the cocoa industry.

The paramount chief said apart from being drought resistant, cashew could thrive very well in places that cocoa and other cash crops were not growing well.

He said climate change was having a heavy toll on the production of cocoa and called for timely interventions that would catapult the cashew industry to achieve greater heights.

Source: GNA