February 22

WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH DAILY HERITAGE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018. 11
Heritage
Politics
Cashew to be major
foreign exchange
earner — Prez
THE PRESIDENT
of the Republic,
Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo, on
Tuesday, 20th February,
2018, launched the 10-year
Cashew Development Plan in
Wenchi, in the Brong Ahafo Region,
a plan aimed at diversifying
Ghanaian agriculture.
Recounting a commitment he
made on March 19, 2016, at
Suma Ahenkro, in the Jaman
North constituency, President
Akufo-Addo bemoaned the overreliance
of Ghanaian agriculture
on the production and export of
cocoa, in contrast with the situation
in neighbouring Cote
d’Ivoire.
He noted that Cote d’Ivoire
has succeeded in diversifying its
agriculture, which included the
production and export of other
cash crops, and, as a result,
earned that country some $12 billion
from the export of agricultural
produce in 2015.
“To that end, I reiterated my
commitment to assist in diversifying
Ghanaian agriculture, and
transforming, amongst others,
cashew into a major cash crop
and foreign exchange earner for
Ghana. This morning’s event,
ladies and gentlemen, is the beginning
of the realisation of this
vision,” the President said.
Highlighting the success of
the first year of the Programme
for Planting for Food and Jobs,
which led to an increase in the
production of staples, as well as
the creation of thousands of jobs
in the rural economy, President
Akufo-Addo noted that the development
had encouraged government
to increase the scope of
the programme.
“The Programme is expanding
its focus not only to the production
of staples, but also to the
development and production of
some selected crops such as
cashew, oil palm, rubber, shea,
cotton and coffee, for good reason,”
he said.
The President noted that two
out of the top five cashew producing
and exporting countries
could be found in West Africa, i.e.
Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire, countries
that have the same geography
and topography as that of
Ghana.
Therefore, as part of the plan
to boost the production of
cashew, the Rural Development
Department of the Ministry of
Local Government and Rural Development
and the Ministry of
Food and Agriculture, are spearheading
the initial production of
seedlings for the cultivation of
cashew in the country.
“Under the Planting for Export
and Rural Development
project, all 216 Metropolitan, Municipal
and District Chief Executives
have been given oversight
responsibility for the production
of not only cashew seedlings, but
also for seedlings of oil palm,
shea, cotton, rubber and coffee,
for distribution to farmers from
next year,” the President said.
He continued, “the seedlings,
once distributed, and planted by
farmers, will ensure that more
rural jobs will be created, in addition
to an increase in yield. The
potential for further job creation
down the value chain through
agro-processing is enormous.”
Again, towards the improvement
of the country’s current
yield, the Ghana Export Promotion
Authority commissioned a
• President Nana Akufo-Addo
“The Programme is
expanding its focus
not only to the production
of staples,
but also to the development
and production
of some
selected crops such
as cashew, oil palm,
rubber, shea, cotton
and coffee, for good
reason.”
cashew mass spraying exercise, in
Wenchi, involving the provision
of GH¢1.6 million for the spraying
of some 30,000 hectares of
cashew plantation. This is expected
to increase cashew production
for this crop year by
some 30%.
These initiatives, the President
added, form an integral part of
the Cashew Development Plan,
with the plan seeking to improve
research methods, introduce appropriate
production and processing
technologies, as well as
develop marketing strategies,
amongst others, along the value
chain.
He, therefore, urged the Ministry
of Food and Agriculture and
the Ghana Export Promotion
Authority also to incorporate, in
this Plan, policies and interventions
that will create additional
businesses and job opportunities
in the areas of storage, transport,
and packaging of cashew, which
will ensure that our cashew farmers
earn higher incomes.
President Akufo-Addo reiterated
the commitment of his government
to follow through fully
on the implementation of this
Plan, in addition to other programmes,
to propel the growth of
the cashew industry.
“I urge the Ministries, Departments
and Agencies, our Members
of Parliament, farmers, and
the private sector to do everything
possible to support the
Cashew Development Programme.
This, together with the
other programmes for other selected
export crops, would drive
industrialization in rural Ghana,
diversify agricultural exports, and
provide the needed jobs for the
teeming masses of unemployed
youth of this country,” President
Akufo-Addo added.
Source: Flagstaff House.
Statement:
NDC national
registration
exercise ends
next week
THE NATIONAL Democratic Congress
(NDC) wishes to remind all party supporters
and sympathisers that the National Registration
Exercise of its members officially
ends on Wednesday February 28, 2018.
The party encourages all members and
sympathisers to endeavour to go to their
designated branches where the exercise is
being conducted to register before the closing
date.
The party seizes this opportunity to
thank all comrades for the enthusiasm with
which the exercise has been embraced and,
assures them of the commitment to reorganize
as the NDC continues to prepare to
recapture power in 2020.
Signed
Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
General Secretary
• Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, General
Secretary, NDC