The Ghana India Trade Advisory Chamber (GITAC) raises concern over raw cashew export

The Ghana India Trade Advisory Chamber (GITAC) has expressed concern over the lack of value addition through processing of the increasing cashew nut exports from Ghana to India. The Chamber’s president, Dominic Oduro-Antwi, told the B&FT that though cashew constitutes almost 80 percent of India’s imports from Ghana, monetary value is lost due to lack of cashew processing plants in the country. Ghana’s major market destinations for cashew are Vietnam and India, with export values of US$533million and US$445million respectively. Indeed, the country’s untapped cashew in shell trade potential is estimated at over US$660million. Trade in cashew, he said, has become one of the main demands from Ghana to India – more than most traditional commodities such as gold. However, processing these raw materials is done in the importing countries… which devalues the product. “When you export raw, the price is cheaper; but it’s not the same when premium is added,” he indicated. Data from the Ghana ...