Accra: The Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) has dismissed claims that Ghana's minimum producer price for cashew was GHS25 per kilogram, describing them as misinformation.
According to Ghana News Agency, a statement issued by the Authority clarified that the official minimum producer price announced for the 2024 season was GHS8.50 per kilogram, with the highest set at GHS15.00 per kilogram for the 2025 season. For the 2026 season, the calculated minimum producer price was GHS11.16 per kilogram, but the Government, through the Authority, increased it to GHS12.00 per kilogram to provide additional support to farmers.
The Authority emphasized that cashew farmgate prices were determined through a consultative process involving stakeholders across the value chain and were guided by international Free on Board (FOB) prices, exchange rate trends, and operational costs. 'Cashew farmgate prices are not arbitrarily set. They are arrived at through a consultative process involving key stakeholders and actors across the value chain and are guided by critical market indicators,' the statement said.
The TCDA noted that Ghana's minimum cashew producer prices had consistently remained among the highest in the sub-region, with current farmgate prices in neighboring countries ranging between GHS7.15 and GHS8.00 per kilogram. Burkina Faso offered between GHS7.55 and GHS7.80, C´te d'Ivoire between GHS7.85 and GHS8.00, Benin between GHS7.36 and GHS7.50, and Togo between GHS7.15 and GHS7.30.
Established under the Tree Crops Development Authority Act, 2019 (Act 1010), the TCDA is mandated to regulate and develop the production, processing, and trading of cashew, coconut, oil palm, rubber, mango, and shea. The Authority reaffirmed its commitment to improving farmer incomes through value addition, particularly cashew apple processing, while supporting the Government's Agriculture for Economic Transformation agenda.
The statement urged the public, media practitioners, bloggers, and stakeholders to verify information from official sources before publication, stressing that accurate information was essential for protecting farmer interests, maintaining market confidence, and promoting sustainable growth in the cashew industry. The statement reiterated TCDA's resolve to set the record straight on cashew producer pricing and ensure that public discourse on the sector was informed by verified facts.