<p></p><p>As part of measures to attract Investors, the Adukrom Traditional Council in the Okere District of the Eastern Region has released over 1000 acres of Land for cashew farming to create jobs in the area. The Traditional Council is optimistic that the release of land for Investors to go into cashew farming will open up the area for Economic development. Chief of Adukrom, who is also a cashew farmer, Nana Otutu Ababio who revealed this encouraged farmers to go into the business and called for government support to make cashew farming attractive to the jobless youth.</p> <p>Cashew is grown as a smallholder crop in Ghana and the commercial plantations sector is very small. It is estimated that about 88% of cashew farms are owned by smallholders, with farms ranging in size from a minimum of 0.8 ha to 3.0 hacters. Ghana raked in $981 million ($981,158,000) as the value of total exports of cashew in 2016. The country emerged as the number one exporter of cashew in–shell for the year 2016. A report posted on the web portal of Ghana Export Promotions Authority (GEPA) said this represents 43.8% of total global exports of cashew in-shell. </p><p>Major market destinations for Ghana’s cashew in 2016 are Vietnam, where total exports amounted to $533 million, and India, consuming $445 million worth of Ghana cashew. Although Ghana’s growth rate in Vietnam is remarkable, threats of competition from mainly Tanzania are real, the report said. President Nana Akufo-Addo has launched a 10-year cashew development plan with a promise to give the country’s agric sector a further boost. </p><p>The President said this plan seeks to improve research methods, introduce appropriate production and processing technologies, as well as develop marketing strategies along the cashew production value chain. The production of cashew in Ghana is currently around 55,000 tonnes per annum.<br></p><p></p>