SECTOR CAPABILITIES - Cashew from Ghana
Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) is a tropical crop that grows well in all kinds of soil types. It is known to do well even in poor, semi-arid and transitional geographical zones. It grows well in areas with annual total rainfall of between 900mm and 1,400mm and with distinctive wet and dry seasons. Cashew nut in shell is the leading Non-Traditional Export earner after processed cocoa.
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The main varieties of the commodity are the following:
- Brazilian variety
- Tanzania variety
- Benin Variety
These varieties are of high quality and taste, and are produced largely by medium and small-scale farmers in the rural areas mostly using organic production methods. The sector is well organized with sufficient infrastructural support, haulage, production inputs and more importantly the support of the government in the area of finance, policy and infrastructure.
Reasons to buy
Reasons to buy
Importing Ghanaian cashew will give you several great advantages:
- Consistency of supply of large volumes of the commodity
- Certainty of supply of high quality cashew all year round
- Very strong sector associations supporting regulations and certification compliance
- Most big companies producing and exporting crushed cashew have certifications
- Deliberate government interventions to strengthen and boost the supply base
- Well-developed value chain of the commodity
Trade performance
Featured exporters
Bethel Inc. Agencies
Bethel Incorporated Agencies was established in Ghana in October 2000 under the Registrar 1963 to trade in cash crops such as Voacanga Africana Seeds and Griffonia Simplicifolia Seeds as well as Cashew nuts, Robusta coffee, for export. The company is mainly export oriented, but equally buys and sells raw Botanicals…Show: Bethel Inc. Agencies
Gyarko Farms
Located in Sefwi Djaboso – Bonsai in the Western Region of Ghana, Gyarko Farms’ cocoa division produces high quality cocoa beans and cashew nuts for both local and the international market. The cashew division of Gyarko Farms is located at Nkoranza in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. This is a vast…Show: Gyarko Farms
Mim Cashew and Agricultural Products, Ltd
Mim Cashew was founded in 2008 with an installed capacity of approximately 200 to 300 metric tons (MT) per year. Mim Cashew is a family owned cashew plantation and processing facility, located near the rocky outcrops of the Mim mountains in Ghana. We are proud to produce cashew nut kernels…Show: Mim Cashew and Agricultural Products, Ltd
Useful links
AFRICAN CASHEW ALLIANCE (ACA)
The African Cashew Alliance was established in 2006 as an association of African and international businesses with an interest in promoting a globally competitive African cashew industry. Today, nearly 130 member companies work under the ACA banner and represent all aspects of the cashew value chain, including producers, processors, traders, and international buyers.
ACA seeks to
• Facilitate networking among members and offer timely information on the cashew sector
• Advocate for sector improvements and partnerships
• Facilitate food safety standards
• Increase processing in Africa through investment promotion and technical support services
COMPETITIVE CASHEW INITIATIVE (ComCashew)/African Cashew Initiative (ACi)
The African Cashew Initiative (ACi) was created in 2009 to improve the production, processing and bringing to market of cashew nuts from five African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Mozambique. Funded principally by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the project uses advisory services and training to help cashew farmers and processors meet international standards. The initiative – now renamed as Competitive Cashew initiative (ComCashew) – has achieved a very positive impact in the cashew market, and its organisers renewed and enhanced their commitment to the programme in 2016.
COCOA RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF GHANA (CRIG)
In June 1938 the Gold Coast Department of Agriculture established the Central Cocoa Research Station at Tafo to investigate problems of diseases and pests which had considerably reduced cocoa production in the Eastern Province. In 1944 it became the West African Cocoa Research Institute (WACRI) with a sub-station in Ibadan, Nigeria, and some research activities undertaken in Sierra Leone.
After the attainment of independence by Ghana and Nigeria, WACRI was dissolved, and the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) and the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) were formed in its place. CRIG was administered by the National Research Council, which was later superseded by the Ghana Academy of Sciences and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
The objectives of the Institute were subsequently expanded to include research on other indigenous and introduced tree crops that produced fats similar to cocoa butter.
CRIG won the privilege of being the research wing of the National Cashew Development Project in 2002, and cashew has since become a mandate crop of CRIG.
CASHEW INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF GHANA (CIAG)
CIAG is a non-governmental organization established in August 2012 and registered in September 2013 with the Registrar General’s Department of Accra, Ghana. The association is an umbrella body of players within the cashew supply chain with the aim of organizing the entire industry in Ghana into major groupings Producers, Processors, Traders, and Service providers.
CIAG collaborates with farmers, processors and research agencies such as the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) and the Wenchi Agric Research Centre as well as international agencies such as the African Cashew initiative (ACi) and African cashew Alliance (ACA). Aims and objectives of the CIAG include:
- Promoting the interests of cashew sector in Ghana.
- Ensuring the production of high quality cashew nuts by establishing and enforcing appropriate standards.
- Promoting value-added processing of cashew nuts for both internal and external markets.
- To play an advocacy role and lobby for policy and regulatory reforms that promotes the cashew industry in Ghana
- Supporting and fostering research beneficial to the industry.
- To get its members to cooperate in the marketing of their products both locally and overseas
- Educating actors in the industry.
GLOBAL CASHEW COUNCIL (GCC)
The Global Cashew Council (GCC) is aimed at promoting usage and consumption of cashews, initiating nutritional and health studies, promoting food safety, developing quality standards, and increasing awareness of the health and nutritional benefits of cashews.