BY PEARLVIS ATSU KUADEY- VIDEO JOURNALIST.
As the 2025/2026 raw cashew nut season opens, Ghana has sent a confident message to the rest of the world, that its cashew exports are of high quality and ready for international demands and markets.
At the 12th World Cashew Conference in Dubai, the Chief Executive Officer of the Tree Crops Development Authority, (TCDA), Dr. Andrews Osei Okrah, dismissed concerns about declining standards, affirming, that Ghana’s nuts meet strict global benchmarks, including the Kernel Outturn Ratios (KOR) that buyers prioritize.
In global commodity markets, reputation significantly impacts earnings for producers and countries. For Ghana, where agriculture serves as the backbone of the economy and a primary source of foreign exchange, maintaining quality, demonstrates a commitment to competing on the world stage. Africa’s cashew trade is expanding, with Ghana positioned as one of the leading exporters.
At first glance, the story of our cashew sector is one of remarkable growth. Cultivation has rapidly increased over the past decade, from about 98,000 hectares, to over 230,000 hectares, leading to a rise in production levels.
Thousands of farms now stretch across the middle belt, particularly in Bono, Bono East, Ahafo and Northern Regions. For some Farmers in Bono East, cashew has become more than a crop; as it provides them with income for school fees for their children and a pathway out of poverty. Its resilience in dry, semi-arid conditions and growing global demand, have made it a crop of choice for many rural households, contributing to food security and income diversification.
However, beneath this growth lie significant challenges that Ghana’s Policymakers, Farmers and Industry Stakeholders must address, in order to realize the sector’s full potential. Currently, most nuts are exported unprocessed, with less than 10 percent converted into kernels locally-meaning, that Ghana captures only a small fraction of the possible value.
While processed cashews attracts higher prices, create jobs and retain revenue domestically, local investment in processing facilities remains limited, due to weak infrastructure, limited finances and resources and inconsistent policy support. In addition to the nuts, the cashew apple, nearly nine times heavier than the nut, is largely wasted.
Rich in vitamins and beneficial for products like juice, jams, vinegar, ethanol and animal feed, these apples remain undervalued due to insufficient equipment, perishability, limited market access and gaps in technical knowledge. Expanding the use of cashew apples could enhance the value chain, create new business opportunities, and generate year-round employment.
The sector also faces pricing pressures. Ahead of the 2025/26 harvest, the TCDA established a floor price of GH¢12 per kilogram to protect Farmers from volatile global rates. While this provides some stability, many growers worry that it may not cover rising costs associated with fertilizer, labour and transportation.
Diseases present a serious challenge, with fungal infections such as anthracnose, blight, and powdery mildew affecting cashew trees and leading to reduced yield and quality. Access to disease-resistant seedlings, affordable agrochemicals, and reliable extension services is limited, while the overuse of certain pesticides threatens environmental sustainability.
Additionally, poor road networks exacerbate these issues, making it costly and difficult for processors to source raw nuts efficiently.
Ghana’s assurances of quality are welcome, but the real opportunity lies in moving up the value chain. Investing in local processing facilities to produce kernels and other cashew-based products, supporting Farmers with improved seedlings and agronomic practices and enhancing storage and transportation infrastructure would generate economic benefits, far beyond the export price of raw nuts. Coupled with fair pricing that reflects production costs and market conditions, these measures could make cashew farming a more attractive and sustainable livelihood for rural families.
Cashew’s journey in Ghana reflects both hope and complexity. It has increased incomes, supported food security and opened doors to global markets. But to evolve from a raw commodity supplier into a value-driven agro-industrial sector requires deliberate policies, targeted investments and strong partnerships across public and private sectors. For many Farmers in Bono East, and thousands of others, the potential is clear: with the right support, cashew can deliver, not just export earnings, but sustainable livelihoods, jobs and a stronger rural economy.
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Source:
www.gbcghanaonline.com
