Cashew to drive agriculture transformation, rural jobs

Ghana is positioning cashew as a strategic crop for its agricultural transformation agenda, aiming to build a value-added industry that creates rural jobs and retains wealth in the country while enhancing livelihoods of value-chain players.

The move transcends country, as Ghana seeks to collaborate with its neighbouring African cashew producing countries to overturn the processing of only about 20 per cent of the crop, despite producing 58 per cent of world raw cashew.

Mr Eric Opoku, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of the 2026 African Cashew Alliance (ACA) annual conference in Accra, said the Government was bent on creating a thriving environment for the cashew ecosystem.

He said the drive would focus on building a productive, competitive, sustainable, value-added cashew industry that addressed productivity constraints, quality planting materials, and post-harvest handling, while ensuring climate resilience.

He said Ghana’s cashew sector had expanded considerably, becoming an important source of income for farming communities, particularly in the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Savannah and other suitable regions.

The minister noted that for millions of Ghanaian and African farmers, cashew provided income and an important pathway out of poverty, with processing being a catalyst to transform rural livelihoods.

“We recognise that increasing production alone is not sufficient; processing should not be seen only as an industrial activity, it is also a rural transformation opportunity,” Mr Opoku said.

“We, therefore, need investment in modern processing facilities, energy and water infrastructure, storage and warehousing, packaging, logistics, quality laboratory and technology adaptation,” he added.

Mr Opoku reaffirmed government’s commitment to creating a conducive environment through appropriate policies, regulatory institutions, research, extension and partnerships with the private sector for sustainable cashew growth.

He said the conference had come at a time when Africa was seeking to transform its agriculture, including the cashew sector, from one that predominantly exported raw goods into a competitive, resilient and value-driven agribusiness industry.

Dr Rich Kofi Koffituo, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), said Ghana was committed to strengthening regulation, farmer registration, quality assurance and market linkages to improve productivity.

The TCDA, he said, was working to strengthen processor capacity and facilitate greater linkages between producers and processors to make value chains more efficient.

“The objective here is clear; to build a cast industry that is productive, competitive, sustainable and capable of greater value and better livelihoods to our producers and our dear farmers that are within the cashew value chain,” he said.

Dr Koffituo reiterated that Ghana saw the move not only as a national agenda but as part of a broader African cashew transformation agenda that required learning from one another and sharing solutions.

“Let us make this conference a turning point, commit to producing more efficiently, processing more competitively, trading more transparently, investing more strategically and ensuring that the benefit of the cashew industry reaches millions of farmers and workers whose livelihoods depend on the cashew industry within our continent,” he stated.

Mr Sanfo Ibrahim, ACA Board President, praised Ghana’s approach, saying the country had made agriculture and cashew a lever for economic development by creating the right policy framework and partnering with the private sector.

He said Ghana’s example showed that sustainable growth depended on investment, competitive markets and collaboration along the entire value chain from farm to market, urging collaboration with all Africa cashew producing countries to expand the approach.

He touted the resources, farmers, entrepreneurs, markets and human capital that Ghana had to become globally competitive, calling for stronger coordination, technology and shared commitment to value addition.

Source: GNA