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Direct purchase of cashew nut from the farmgate by the foreigners to be blocked.

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A new regulation to block foreigners from purchasing cashew nuts directly from the farmgate will soon be enforced to make trading the commodity the sole preserve of Ghanaians, deputy Chief Executive Officer, Operations at the Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA), Foster Boateng, has revealed.

Mr. Boateng disclosed that foreigners will only be able to buy cashew nuts from the farmgate using registered Ghanaian agents when the regulation is finally approved.

“The draft guideline by the TCDA has been reviewed by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Legal Affairs, and is supposed to be laid in parliament soon by the sector minister. It will be passed into law after 21 days when laid in parliament,” he said.

What the law will regulate

The regulation, according to the TCDA, will enshrine key tenets and mandates to properly develop and regulate other tree crops, including oil palm and rubber among others.

The law is also expected to ensure that the Authority regulates pricing mechanisms to address farmgate price volatility for tree crop produce. This will help incentivise farmers to produce.

Within the law, aggregators, processors, exporters and traders in any tree crop commodity will be licenced, as well as developers of planting materials – including nurseries.

Already, a pricing formula has been developed by the TCDA for cashew, oil palm and rubber for value chain actors, considering key parameters including exchange rate volatility for trading on the global market.

Ongoing registration of cashew buyers

The TCDA said it has begun engagements with value chain actors to register all cashew buyers. Indeed, there are about 25 major cashew buyers in the country – with the majority being from India.

Current cashew pricing

A kilo of cashew sold at GH¢8.5 at the beginning of this year, but the price shot up to almost GH¢13 at beginning of the second quarter due to demand and supply market forces.

The price move was instituted when local producers met the approved minimum standard of 10 percent moisture content kernel outturn ratio (KOR) of 46 pounds and other factors.

But prices began to fall in April this year, as Ivory Coast – largest producer of cashew in the region – released the commodity onto the market just when quality standards began to plummet in Ghana from the second quarter of this year.

Recent financing of the sector

The World Bank earlier this year announced the grant of a US$100million credit facility to boost production and improve the value chain of cashew, coconut and rubber, in partnership with government under a six-year funding initiative known as the Tree Crop Diversification Project.

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Women can play vital role in addressing IUU fishing in Ghana – Dr. Lamptey.

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The Chairperson of the Scientific and Technical Committee at the Fisheries Commission, Dr. Angela Lamptey has stated that women have a vital role to play in addressing IUU fishing in Ghana.

According to her, from pre-harvest to the processing and sale of fish stock, women play a huge role and so can create change in the sector.

She was speaking on the sidelines of a training workshop on Marine Security reporting for selected journalists in Takoradi.

It was under the Integrated Responses to Threats to Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Domain in West and Central Africa Project.

As part of reducing maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, the Kofi Annan International Peace Training Center and the Danish government are implementing a five-year project on Integrated Responses to Threats to maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Domain in West and Central Africa (2022-2026).

Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported fishing remains one of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems in Ghana as it has the potential to undermine national and regional efforts in conserving and managing fish stocks.

This challenge is contributing to depleted fish stock apart from threatening marine biodiversity and livelihoods of mostly coastal communities while worsening poverty and food insecurity.

Data from the Environment and Natural Resource Research Initiative, ENRRI – EfD Ghana, estimates that Ghana loses over US$200million annually due to IUU fishing.

The Ghana’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministry as part of measures to address the challenge has banned the use of monofilament fishing nets, illegal transshipment (saiko), the use of lights, dynamite and DDT for fishing in Ghana’s waters. It has also instituted the closed season for fishing. But many fishers continue to flout these regulations.

The Scientific and Technical Committee of the Fisheries Commission Chairperson, Dr. Lamptey believes women who are usually the financiers of fishing expeditions, processors of fish harvest and sellers of the fish can adopt measures such as rejecting fish from IUU to compel the fishers to change.

“It is not just the industrial fishing trawlers who engage in IUU, the artisanal ones are also involved. When you come to the artisanal sector, most of the financiers are women. If I am a woman and I am sponsoring a fishing expedition, I will not sponsor the fishers to go and buy generators to engage in light fishing.

“Moreover when they land with catch, they have a way of detecting fishes caught with light, their swim bladder gushes out of their mouth. Don’t even buy it to process it to sell. Once there is no market for such fishes or those that have a lot of juveniles, the fishermen will be discouraged from catching them. So these are some of the roles women can play to prevent IUU fishing,” she said.

She has also called on the authorities to remove obstacles that prevent women from developing themselves in the fisheries sector so they can be well equipped to help with policy formulation and enforcement of fisheries laws.

“Let’s remove all obstacles preventing women from playing leadership roles in the fisheries sector. We should not look down on women as being too fragile to be in the industry. The era of women being pushed to the kitchen is past and gone,” she said.

“They can even set up a fund to sponsor girls in education to study all the activities in the fisheries industry, the science in the industry and encourage them to come back to help enforce the rregulations so the sector will be developed,” she suggested

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Domestic food price inflation remains high around the world – World Bank report.

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The World Bank Report on the response to rising food insecurity has indicated that domestic food price inflation remains high around the world.

Information from the latest month between January 2023 and April 2023 for which food price inflation data are available shows high inflation in most low- and middle-income countries, with inflation higher than 5% in 64.7% of low-income countries, 81.4% of lower-middle-income countries, and 84% of upper-middle-income countries and many experiencing double-digit inflation; 78.6% of high-income countries are experiencing high food price inflation.

The most-affected countries are in Africa, North America, Latin America, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia.

The agricultural, cereal, and export price indices closed 1%, 4%, and 1% higher, respectively, than two weeks ago. Maize, wheat, and rice prices all increased in the last two weeks, with prices closing 2%, 7%, and 4% higher, respectively. On a year-on-year basis, maize and wheat prices are 22% and 41% lower, respectively, while rice prices are 14% higher. Maize prices are 15% higher than in January 2021, while wheat and rice prices are at the same level. (See “pink sheet” data for agricultural commodity and food commodity prices indices, updated monthly.)

The May 2023 edition of the AMIS Market Monitor highlights that, after three consecutive years of La Niña, which brought bumper crops for some countries and crop failures for others, it is likely that the world is heading into an El Niño pattern, with a 62% chance of development during May to July, a 75% chance between June and August, and an 80% chance during the rest of the year.

If El Niño materializes, depending on its strength, average to above-average rain could occur in Central Asia, southern North America, southeast South America, southern Europe, eastern and southern East Africa, and southern and eastern China.

The Drier-than-average conditions could occur in Central America, the Caribbean, parts of western and northern East Africa, northern South America, southern Africa, India, Northern China, and Australia.

In general, El Niño will affect agricultural production on more than 25% of global cropland, slightly increasing global mean soybean yields and slightly decreasing global mean maize, rice, and wheat yields.

The 2023 edition of the Global Report on Food Crises, an annual report from the Global Network Against Food Crises, provides regional summaries of food crises that occurred in 2022.

Globally, the number of people in GRFC countries and territories facing acute food insecurity increased to 257.8 million in 2022 from 192.8 million in 2021 and has more than doubled since 2016, albeit with data coming from a larger group of countries.

The percentage of the analyzed population in IPC/CH Phase 3 or above or equivalent has also increased each year, doubling from 11.3% in 2016 to 22.7% in 2022.

The causes of this increase are complex and interlinked, with conflicts, national and global economic shocks, and weather extremes acting as interrelated, mutually reinforcing drivers of acute food insecurity and hunger.

Of these primary drivers, conflict and insecurity remain the most important, with the GRFC indicating that, by the end of 2022, there were an estimated 53.2 million internally displaced people, mainly displaced by conflict, in 25 food-crisis countries.

The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that up to 19 million Sudanese (41% of the population) were struggling to find one meal per day, up from 15 million last year.

It is likely that the violence in Sudan will have large impacts on regional food insecurity, with roughly 100,000 people having fled to neighboring countries in recent weeks.

This could rise to as many as 800,000 as the conflict continues. Before the conflict, food insecurity was projected to worsen in Sudan, with most of the population in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) concentrated near the borders with neighboring countries.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, trade-related policies imposed by countries have surged.

The global food crisis has been partially made worse by the growing number of food trade restrictions put in place by countries with a goal of increasing domestic supply and reducing prices.

As of March 13, 2023, 21 countries have implemented 27 food export bans, and 10 have implemented 14 export-limiting measures

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Tomato price crashes as Ghana, Cameroon supplies hit Nigerian markets.

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The price of tomato has crashed in most Nigerian markets as supplies from Ghana and Cameroun have arrived the county’s markets. Daily Trust findings revealed…

Findings revealed that due to the recent tomato scarcity that hit the nation as a result of the Tuta Absoluta pest attack on tomato plantations, tomato merchants have resolved to import the crop from Ghana and Cameroon to complement the supply in Nigeria, and as a result the price of tomato which had gone up initially has crashed.

A check revealed that a big basket of tomato which was selling for over N50,000 recently is now selling for N18,000 to N20,000 in Kano State due to its availability.

The Kano State Chairman of Tomato Out Growers Association of Nigeria (TOGAN), Alhaji Sani Danladi Yadakwari, disclosed that the scarcity experienced initially was as a result the pest attack, adding that with supplies from Ogun State in Nigeria and two other African countries, tomato supply had been stabilised relatively and the price crashed.

He said, “With supplies now coming from Ogun State and the two African countries, Cameroon and Ghana, tomato merchants have succeeded in crashing tomato price, and availability is now stable.”

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Free SHS: We want our money not empty promises – National Food Suppliers.

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The National Food Suppliers Association says its members won’t back down on their decision to picket at the premises of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) if their 2 years outstanding arrears are not paid.

This comes after they met with the Minister of Education over the demands, of which NAFCO has indicated that plans are underway to get the Finance Ministry to release funds to pay them.

Speaking to Citi News, the spokesperson for the National Food Suppliers Association, Kwaku Amedume said they will not be moved by empty promises.

Mr. Amedume indicated that the respective agencies responsible for paying their arrears have been giving members of the Association consistent empty promises so much so that they can no longer put up with such promises.

“That has always been the story we have been hearing for the past two years; we are organising some money, we are going to release some funding, we should bring our names, we should meet at 10 o’clock. We have gone through all these processes and promises, and we are still where we are for the past two years. So I don’t think it is enough to just conclude that we are satisfied. Until we have our money in our hands, we don’t trust that this money will be paid to us”.

“Mind you, day-in-day-out, the value of the money with Buffer Stock keeps reducing, and so we are more than interested in getting our money than any promise, we want action, not promises.”

The Association on AU Day, May 25, issued a 14-day ultimatum to the National Food Buffer Stock Company to pay the eighteen months’ arrears owed members else they will picket at the Buffer Stock’s premises until they are paid.

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How the world’s chocolate habit has taken a massive toll on the cocoa-growing forests of West Africa

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The land area devoted to cocoa is enormous – at seven million hectares of plantations – across the world’s major producing countries: Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

Chocolate sales have boomed in recent months. As the cost-of-living crisis bites, consumers are increasingly reaching for chocolate as a simple and affordable pleasure.

The most important ingredient in chocolate is cocoa beans, which come from plants grown in the tropics. About 70% of the world’s cocoa comes from West Africa. The countries of Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Ghana are two of the biggest producers.

Meeting the world’s insatiable appetite for chocolate has wrought a huge environmental cost, as the incredibly rich and diverse rainforests of West Africa are razed to make way for cocoa farms.

Research by my colleagues and me, released on May 22, sheds new light on the problem. By generating a new high-resolution map of cocoa growing areas in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, we found the area under cocoa production is truly enormous – and may be associated with up to 37% of forest loss in protected areas.

Price of cocoa farming

The Upper Guinean forests of West Africa have been classified as a “global biodiversity hotspot”, due to their exceptional concentrations of plant and animal species found nowhere else on Earth. But much of this forest has now been destroyed.

Since 1950, Côte d’Ivoire has lost up to 90% of its forest cover and Ghana has lost 65%. Cocoa has been a primary driver of this deforestation, together with other crops, mining and logging.

But the exact contribution of cocoa plantations to the problem is not well understood. This is due in part to a lack of an accurate, high-resolution map of cocoa-growing areas.

Without a map, we don’t know where the chocolate we consume comes from. In particular, we don’t know whether the cocoa was grown in formerly forested areas, or even illegally in protected areas.

What we didWe set out to determine the location and extent of cocoa plantations by using artificial intelligence.

We used a type of artificial intelligence known as a “neural network”, which allows computers to recognise and predict patterns in data. When a neural network is trained on satellite images showing different land uses, it can apply this “understanding” to identify the same land uses in satellite images of other geographic areas.

In our study, we trained the neural network to recognise cocoa plantations across Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. We did this using satellite images, together with the known locations of more than 100,000 cocoa farms.

We then checked the accuracy of the information provided by the neural network, by engaging field teams to confirm the results at 2,000 random locations on the ground.

This combination of advanced technology and hard fieldwork allowed us to create the first high-resolution map of cocoa production across West Africa. And what the map tells us is worrying.

What we found

We found that the land area devoted to cocoa is enormous, comprising more than seven million hectares of plantations across both countries. The result is far greater than official figures – up to 40% higher in Ghana’s case.

What’s more, much of the cocoa plantation area exists in vast areas of what was once native forest. And more than 1.5 million hectares of land under cocoa production is located in protected areas.

Deforestation in protected areas is a major issue globally. Given where we found cocoa growing, and where forest loss has been observed, we estimate more than 37% of deforestation in protected areas can be linked to cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire. For Ghana, the figure is 13%.

How do we fix this?Our map demonstrates the massive role that cocoa may be playing in forest destruction in West Africa, including in protected areas.

This is a complex problem, with no easy fix. Cocoa is grown by an estimated two million mostly small-scale farmers, who typically live below the poverty line on less than US$1 a day. Expanding their cocoa farms into forest is one way farmers and their families can maintain or improve their livelihoods.

To fix this problem, we must help farmers manage existing farms in a more productive and sustainable way. Stronger law enforcement is also needed, to safeguard protected areas. Both will require action from governments and companies.

More money from chocolate sales should end up with the farmer. And consumers may also have to pay more for their chocolate.

Only determined changes on all these fronts will preserve the remaining forests of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

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Truck with 200 bags of smuggled cocoa beans impounded at Taviefe.

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Personnel of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) last Sunday night intercepted a heavy-duty truck loaded with 200 maxi-backs of cocoa beans at Taviefe, near Ho, speeding towards Togo.

The Mercedes Benz truck, BA 265 V, was said to have travelled from Kede, through Accra, Sogakope and Ho before Customs officers caught up with it at Taviefe.

Subsequently, the driver, Felix Tetteh, 30, was arrested and handed over to the police in Ho while the truck was impounded.

Briefing the Daily Graphic soon after the operation, the Director of Special Services of COCOBOD, Charles Amenyaglo, said the operation followed a tip-off and intelligence gathering.

Concealment

According to him, the sacks of cocoa beans were sprinkled with fishmeal and covered with wheat bran to conceal the smell of the cocoa beans on board.

Mr Amenyaglo said initial investigations revealed that the same truck was involved in a cocoa smuggling case in March, this year.

Apart from that, he said, the colour of the truck was changed three times between March and May this year to avoid detection by the security agencies.

Further, Mr Amenyaglo said the truck, which earlier used the Accra- Ho-Hohoe route for cocoa smuggling, now operated through Sogakope to outwit the security agencies.

“We will get to the bottom of the matter as soon as possible and process the driver and all those involved for court,” he added.

The Director of Special Services of COCOBOD appealed to patriotic members of the public to readily volunteer information on the activities of cocoa smugglers in the communities to the security agencies and COCOBOD, in the national interest.

He said the driver of the impounded truck was now on police enquiry bail, assisting in investigations into the matter.

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Africa must work together to guarantee food, economic security — President

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The President of the Republic of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on African leaders to foster intra-trade partnerships to ensure sustainable economic growth for the continent

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Cashew, coconut, and rubber receive US$100m finance boost

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The World Bank has granted a US$ 100 million facility to boost production and improve the value chains of cashew, coconut, and rubber, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Operations at Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA) Foster Boateng has revealed.

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Law to grow cannabis in Ghana unconstitutional – SC affirms in 5:4 decision.

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A review panel of the Supreme Court has in a 5:4 majority decision affirmed its earlier judgement to declare as unconstitutional a section of the Narcotic Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019) which allows license to be granted to an entity to cultivate a small quantity of cannabis, popularly referred to as “wee” in Ghana for industrial and medicinal purposes.

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