Cashew Industry Association to hold first national dialogue
The Cashew Industry Association of Ghana (CIAG) would be organizing its first ever National Cashew Dialogue, on the theme; “Revitalising the Cashew Sector: An Opportunity Neglected by the Nation”.
The dialogue, which is part of a six-month advocacy programme mainly sponsored by the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund, would be held at the Accra International Conference Centre on January 19, 2016.
It is expected to bring together about 100 stakeholders within the cashew sector, to have a discussion with key government organisations, including the Ministries of Trade and Industry, Finance, Food and Agriculture, as well as the Ghana Export Promotion Authority.
A statement issued by the Association in Accra on Tuesday, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the meeting is also expected to extract some commitment from policy makers towards the development of the cashew sector.
It explained that with the support of BUSAC and African Cashew Alliance, the Association has begun series of activities as part of its advocacy campaign, hoping to bring the challenges within the sector before duty bearers and to chart a way forward.
The statement said although the cashew sector could be described as one of the most promising economic booster for Ghana, it has however been given less attention.
The sector, it said, brings in not less than between 400 and 500 million dollars revenue to help in the country’s current economic crisis, and with the potential prospect of cashew production locally, it is anticipated that the crop would increase from its current 50,000 to 200,000 metric tonnes (MT) annually with a processing capacity of about 90 per cent.
The sector currently has 14 processing factories in the country with a processing capacity of 60,000 MT while the country produces 50,000 MT of raw nuts.
According to the Association, this among other factors contributes to the need for an effective dialogue between the government of Ghana and agencies responsible for the implementation of policies that would help promote the sector.
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