Stakeholders in Cashew industry kick against policy suspending exports till June

Under a new policy to protect local industries, the Ministry of Trade and Industries has suspended cashew nuts exports until June. 

The move is to enable local processing industries to get enough nuts to process into cashew kernels. 

But industry players, such as cashew farmers, buyers and exporters are up in arms against the policy. 

A Farmer and President of the Ghana Co-operative cashew farmers and Marketing Association, Anthony Kweku Aidoo said the policy is counterproductive to players in the cashew value chain. 

He told Radio Ghana that farmers and buyers who contracted loans from the Banks would be worse off because they have to pay huge interest without exporting their products.

A cashew buyer, Mumuni Abdul Issah said buyers are also not happy about the suspension of cashew exports because it is not in their interest. 

He said that if cashew is stored for a long time it loses its quality. 

He said the policy is unacceptable, because it is a way of killing the cashew industry.
                                                  
The Desk Officer of Cashew and a Director at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Seth Osei Akoto says every player in the value chain must be a beneficiary to government policy.  

He said today, Ghana's cashew nut is the most expensive in the world. 

What is being produced is not enough therefore there is the need to regulate the industry.  

Mr Akoto told Radio Ghana that the farmers’ argument that they will be the losers is not true. 

Asked if the ban is the only way to go, Mr Akoto said a policy must be tried to see how it goes.

GBC