As part of efforts to boost the production of cashew in the country, a total of 19,000 improved cashew seedlings have been distributed to 470 small-scale farmers across eight districts.
The beneficiary farmers are scattered across these areas, Wenchi, Tain (Bono Region), Kintampo South and Nkoranza North (Bono East), Tano North (Ahafo) Bole (Savanna), Sogakope (Volta) and Nkwanta South (Oti).
The intervention is an aspect of a five-year Cashew Project (Pro-Cashew) being implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), an American NGO and funded by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The CNFA also collaboration with an institution like the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to implement the project in the country.
The project which seeks to promote the cultivation of the tree crop to improve the livelihood of farmers by enhance their income levels. The focused countries for the five-year project are Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria.
On behalf of the beneficiary farmers, Mr. Mbema Saaka, a former illegal miner at Bole expressed gratitude to CNFA for the kind support, stating that the intervention will go a long way as an alternative but sustainable livelihood initiative to make a meaningful living after bowing out of the galamsey business.
The Country Representative of CNFA Procashew Project, Eleazer Tackie, pledged the unflinching commitment of the organization to assist improve the socioeconomic status of the rural folk by extending their benevolence to benefit more farmers in other areas as well as build the capacity of farmers to rehabilitate and maintain cashew farms, indicating that more 37, 000 seedlings will be distributed to about 1,000 farmers in Regions and Districts that were not captured during the first phase of the project.
He said: “To increase the capacity of farmers to maintain their cashew farms, the project will in the month of September train about 1,500 cashew farmers, largely from the districts and regions which have received the improved seedlings. The trainings will be done in collaboration with the District MoFA officers. The training will cover GAPs in cashew, including rehabilitation and maintenance of cashew farms.”
