Honourable Alexander Obour Damoah, the Wenchi Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) has warned cashew marketing companies to desist from shortchanging farmers or face prosecution.

The MCE at a meeting with all stakeholders in the cashew business at Wenchi Friday January 6 said, some of the buyers have failed to abide by the government approved price for the season.

The meeting aimed to discuss measures to ensure smooth implementation of guidelines and strategies for a successful 2023 cashew harvesting and market season.

The Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Hon Yaw Frimpong on 15th December 2022 announced the minimum farm gate price for cashew as GHC8.50 per kilo from GHC 5.00 per kilo in the last crop season at an event in Baamiri, Techiman. He explained that the minimum price is the price that nobody can buy the product below but above, one can negotiate. He called on all player in the value chain to respect the pricing regime. 

Hon Damoah ceased the opportunity to caution buyers saying, "any buyer who will buy cashew nuts below government minimum price will be arrested and prosecuted."

"I called this meeting because we all know this is the cashew season. This year the government has pegged the purchasing price of a kilo of cashew at GHC8.50 therefore there was the need to remind ourselves and go by it accordingly."

He indicated that, "I have received numerous information that some of the buyers are not complying with the GhC 8.50 minimum price."

"The Wenchi Municipal Assembly in view of this has also formed taskforce to check the operations of the cashew buying companies within the municipality to ensure that they buy the cashew nuts according to the minimum price", he revealed.

Source: Ghana/Sompaonline.com/SompaSunyani