ACTORS IN THE SHEA INDUSTRY CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

ACTORS IN THE SHEA INDUSTRY CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
With the approval of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority Bill into law which awaits Presidential assent, participants at the 2nd Shea Multi-Stakeholders day one sitting in Tamale have repeated calls on government to place premium on the shea industry same as the level of importance attached to the cocoa industry.
They expressed worry about the sector being the least developed with its potentials underutilized by successive governments though the shea industry is regarded as one of the great potentials which could go a long way to reduce the astronomical poverty levels in the three regions of the north.
The participants further bemoaned that while the cocoa sector has been developed to the World export level, little or no attention has been given the shea industry which should be a national concern.
In an exclusive interview at the forum, Mr. Roy Ayariga, National Coordinator of the Northern Growth Development Programme disclosed the African Development Bank’s financial commitment to support the shea sector with 62 million Dollars to improve the industry.
According to him, the money will be used for infrastructural expansion comprising roads, bridges and facilities that are needed to improve the socio-economic well being of residents of less developed shea producing communities in northern Ghana.
He also announced IFAD’s pledge of additional 22 million Dollar package to improve production, extension services, processing, marketing, research and access to micro finance credit.
Giving an overview of the forum, Madam Rose Tanzile, Coordinator of the National Shea Network said the platform was created to brainstorm and make commendations to government and multinational companies in the shea industry to set the pace for a more coordinated approach to develop the industry.
She outlined key issues including inadequate skills training on nuts picking and processing, rapid reduction in tree numbers with little effort for replacement, poor budgetary allocation for the sector’s development and lack of specific comprehensive policy framework to support the shea sector as some of the challenges the industry been bedeviled with over the years.
Mr. Roy Ayariga was emphatic that a chunk of the money will be used to support women who have died out of snake bites and other deadly reptiles who feed on the shea nuts they go to pick from the bush.
He added that the value chain approach which was instituted by the Northern Growth Development Programme in collaboration financial institutions to provide cashless support to farmers in northern Ghana is on course.
He explained that the programme aimed at assisting the beneficiary farmers to increase the cultivation of maize, soya bean and sorghum for adequate supply to industrial buyers.
Mr. Roy Ayariga mentioned companies such as the Accra Brewery Limited, Bosbel Oil producers and the Ghana Nuts company that are ready with cash to buy in large quantities maize, soya bean and sorghum for commercial production.
Among other resource persons, Dr. Joshua A. Yidana of the University for Development Studies and Dr. Ameyaw of CRIG implored government to engage the services of researchers to come out with useful findings that will help actors in the industry make informed decisions as means of catching up with far advanced players in the cocoa industry.