THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF CASHEW DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA PRESENTED BY Rowland Aggor Ghana Export Promotion Council
National Cashew Week 17 -19 April 2007
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 Ahafo Region.
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 semiautomated 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 YEAR No of Exporters Quantity(MT) Value ($) 1990
2
15.5
8,770.8
1991
1
30.0
17,400.0
1992
1
50.7
27,896.0
1993
-
-
-
1994
3
600.0
330,600.0
1995
1
289.0
203,705.0
1996
3
541.3
361,605.0
Export Performance cont. Year
No of exporters Quantity (mt) Value ($)
1997
5
3,571.6
1,844,210.4
1998
6
1,822.4
1,186,662.0
1999
5
5,571.6
3,797,623.4
2000
11
3,563.6
2,552,652.1
2001
5
418.91
88,936.7
2002
7
3,892.1
1,450,305.9
2003
8
6,338.0
2,598,635.1
Export performance cont. Year
No of exporters
Quantity (mt)
Value ($)
2004
-
51,763.4
18,757,613
2005
-
13,831.7
5,235,834
2006
-
34,633.9
11,794,820
Export Performance of cashew nuts (shelled) 2004-2006 Year
No of Exporters Quantity (mt) Value ($)
2004
-
3,600.6
1,419,480
2005
-
654.9
261,799
2006
-
328.0
180,468
Later Developments • AfDB funded Cashew Development Project approved in October 2002 Objectives; 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!