GHANA CASHEW WEEK FARMER EXPERIENCE ON THE OCCASION OF NATIONAL WEEK CELEBRATION: ALISA HOTEL, ACCRA. APRIL 17 – 18, 2007
BEFORE I JOIN ADRA Became ADRA client in 1997 Before Joining Adra Farmer Groups, I Was Farming Maize, Yam Etc. Started Cultivating Cashew When I Realized Cashew Has The Potential to ensure food security and give more income to farmers. Elected secretary to ‘Obre Nye Kwa Cashew Farmers Association in Koase near Techiman in the Brong Ahafo region.
SUPPORT RECEIVED FROM ADRA ADRA supported the group members with the following Cash for Land Preparation Fertilizers Cashew Seeds Seed Maize Wellengton Boots Cutlasses Etc
NUMBER OF ACRES I PLANTED ADRA supported me with 4 acres for the five year period, 1997 -2001.
I expanded this by cultivating additional 3 acres within the same period.
I have started another 5 acres last year. The total is 12 acres.
TECHNICAL TRAINING RECEIVED pest control manure application row planting pruning in cashew Cashew Harvesting techniques techniques in beekeeping Health and sanitation etc. all these are
attributed to USAID through ADRA-Ghana.
YIELDS Value (cedis)
year Yield bags
kilos
Yield/acre (bags)
2004
9
720
1.5
9,000,000
2005
18
1,440
3
9,360,000
2006
33
2,649
5.5
11,900,00 0
2007
45
3600
7
12,600,00 0
Total
105
8,400
37,460,00 0
BENEFITS- PART I Realized a total of 37, 460,000 from 2004 to 2007 The realized income together with sales from honey production have been used to undertake the following: 5-bed room house Motor bike Mobile phone
BENEFITS - PART 2 Child education Several Awards including 2003 Municipal Best farmer in Bee Keeping, Techiman 2006 Municipal Best Farmer in Agroforestry 2006, among the best 5 ADRA Cashew Farmers at a farmer’s Day Celebration
BENEFITS –PART 3 Local Marketing agent for an exporter A solid social security in old age.
PROBLEMS & SOLUTION –PART I PESTS Solution Adoption of good management practices control by biological the use of recommended insecticides.
Mass spraying of all Cashew Plantations by
Government. BUSH FIRES • District assemblies should enforce existing laws.
Problems & SOLUTION – PART 2 Marketing Problems • Price is reducing: Year 2005 2006 2007
= = =
Price ¢6,500 per kg ¢4,500 per kg ¢3,500 per kg
Problems & Solution – PART 3 Government should make it possible to involve Cashew Farmer Associations in the districts and regions in all Price meetings with the Buyers and Exporters at the beginning of the season
A lasting solution will be to set up a regulatory Body similar to COCOBOD to regulate the marketing of Cashew in the Country.
General Suggestions Government should give more resources
to the Cashew Development Project, CDP to enable it increase its scale of operations.
Government should also consider giving
additional resources and support to ADRA to enable it reach out to the numerous resource poor farmers in the country.
THANK FOR YOUR ATTENTION