The Bole Municipal Assembly has inaugurated and outdoored the Cashew Traders and Exporters Association on 28th November, 2024 at the Bole Municipal Assembly Conference Hall.
Speaking to Bole based Nkilgi fm, the Executive Director for Cashew Council of Ghana Mr Agyarko Mintah said the inauguration of the Association in Bole will support buying and quality management of the Cashew nut and that Cashew nut leaving the Ghanaian market will not be found to have problems.
Agyarko Mintah added that the Cashew Council will link the Association to their processors for the factories to get work to do.
Mr. Agyarko Mintah said that as at June 2024, there was no indigenous processing factory that was working, because the foreign traders had exported all the nuts to India and Vietnam. Which is a huge loss of jobs to Ghanaians.
He said “In fact, one factory alone with 180 staff has to close down and everybody lost his job which is not caused by the government, but our own selves”.
He added that one of the reasons why Cashew production is because foreigners are invading the market and also joining some of the farmers on the field to harvest for them and selling the Cashew nut for them undried and that is to affect the quality of the Ghana Cashew.
He added that aside that affecting the quality of the Ghana Cashew, it is also taking a lot of the aggregators out of business and rendering them unemployed.
The Executive Director for Cashew Council of Ghana Mr Agyarko Mintah said there are about 1,700 registered aggregators and traders which around 30% are foreigners and the 30% foreigners have taken over the business.
He added that the foreigners go to the field and not only buy what the farmer has harvested, but also sometimes help them to do the detaching of the nuts from the fruit and buy it at the wet weight.
Mr Mintah added the most interesting thing is that they sometimes buy it higher than the official price of the dry weight.
He said the foreigners do that because at the beginning of the season, the quality of Ghana Cashew is so high which you can get sometimes the quality row nuts of 54 or 54 and when they do the drying, they know they can get more from it.
The Secretary of the Bole Cashew Exporters and Traders Association Mr Alhassan Abdallah said the Association is very excited to have National executives coming down to support them to inaugurate their association.
He urged all who are into Cashew trade to come and register with the association which the registration is in two different memberships.
Mr. Alhassan Abdallah said one would have to register as a member of the association and also as a member of the Tree Crop Authority to become a cashew trader.
He said when anyone is not registered, he or she stand the chance of losing their business as a cashew trader and that the Ghana Standard Authority or Tree Crop Authority can visit one’s warehouse to seize all his or her scalesa and goods.
He added; “This is because they came with the security agency and gave them the audacity to work with the law to deal with all those who don’t have licenses and they are operating”.
The Secretary of the Bole Cashew Exporters and Traders Association Mr. Alhassan Abdallah said the association is for all and everybody who is in Cashew business must come and register to be secured and protected by the association.
He said henceforth no foreigner from any country can come to Ghana to buy Cashew goods from farmers and if one is not also a member of the association from any part of the Savannah Region, the person cannot come to any part of the region to buy Cashew from any farmer or anybody.
Mr Alhassan Abdallah said when a person get to the region, he or she need to link with traders from any part of the region or the district the person enters, give them the money of the quantity the person want for them to buy for him or her.
Mr Alhassan said if anyone makes a mistake and enter any part of the Savannah Region with the car and the police apprehend it, he or she will suffer the consequences.
He said “if anybody also leads any foreigner to any farmer or village to buy Cashew, just know that you will suffer in the hands of the law. Because all aggregators are now watchdogs all over and also the custom officers are also part of the Association and they are watching all over to arrest those people who are doing that”
The Executives elected for the Bole Municipal Cashew Exporters and Traders Association are Chairman – Salia Mohammed; Vice chairman – Dr. Seidu Adams; Secretary- Mr Alhassan Abdallah and Deputy Secretary – Abdulai Mohammed.
Others are are Treasurer- Hajia Ayisha- Bele-Nabier; Deputy Treasurer – Seidu Adams and Organiser- Alhaji Kassim Alhassan.
The rest are Deputy organizer- Asem Mohammed Seidu; PRO Alhaj Seidu Natomah Abdulai; Deputy PRO Moro Braimah and Patron – Alhaj Abdulai Alakabo.
Source: nkilgifmonline.com
