Cashew Industry Association Of Ghana (CIAG) Holds First National Cashew Dialogue

The Cashew Industry Association of Ghana is organizing the first ever National Cashew Dialogue under the theme; Revitalizing the Cashew Sector: An Opportunity Neglected by the Nation.

The cashew sector can be said to be one of the most promising economic booster for Ghana but given less attention. The sector poses not less than between 400 and 500million dollars revenue to aid in the country’s current economic crisis.

With the potential prospect of cashew production in the country, it is anticipated that the crop increases from its current 50,000 to 200,000 metric tonnes annually with a processing capacity of about 90%.

The sector currently has 14 processing factories within the country with a processing capacity of 60,000 MT while the country produces 50,000 MT of raw nuts. 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 will help promote the sector.

The dialogue is expected to bring together about a Hundred (100) stakeholders within the cashew sector to have a discussion with key government organizations; The ministries of Trade and Industry, Finance and Economic Planning and The Ministry of Food and Agriculture and The Ghana Export Promotion council. It is also anticipated that the meeting will extract some commitment from these policy makers towards the development of the cashew sector.

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 cashew sector before duty bearers and to chart a way forward.

The dialogue, which is a part of a six (6) months advocacy program, mainly sponsored by the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund will be held at the Accra International Conference Centre on the 19th of January 2016 at 9: am.

About 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.

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