The Director of Usibra Ghana Limited, Mr. Tarisco Falcao, announced this when he paid a call to the Minister of trade and Industry, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, in Accra. Usibra is the largest cashew nut processing company in Brazil, with two units capable of processing 70,000 metric tonnes of cashew nuts per season.

The company has a subsidiary, Nutsco, in Camden, New Jersey, USA, which processes and distributes cashew and other nuts in the US market. Usibra has an investment potential of $45 million.

Briefing the minister, Mr. Falcao said 80 per cent of the cashew processed in Ghana would be exported to the US and European markets. He stated that growers would be paid a good price for their cashews, in order to stimulate further production.

Source: ghanabusinessnews.com

Finance Minister Seth Tekper signed the financing agreement on behalf of the government, while EU Ambassador, Claude Marten initialed on behalf of the EU. The money will be used for the Banana Accompanying Measures Project (BAM).

Trade Minister Haruna Iddrisu said, “It is to improve the livelihood of banana farmers in the Greater Accra, Eastern and Volta regions.” The Minister added “it will include expansion of social amenities and basic amenities in that area to encourage them to increase volumes of production.”

The EU Ambassador also revealed that Ghana exports about 50,000 tons of bananas to the European Union.

Source: business.myjoyonline.com

The move follows improvements in washing, packaging and processing of beans and could earn farme more billions. The permission precedes a 12-year ban and five years of intense lobbying by fresh produce growers.

The move will now open a new frontier, beyond Europe, for the country’s 15,0000 bean farmers. Import of Kenyan beans has been banned into the US since the year 2000, making the decision by the US Department of Agriculture, a landmark ruling for the country’s horticultural industry.

“We are amending the fruits and vegetable regulations to allow the importation of French and runner beans from Kenya into the US,” said the country’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in a statement.

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The call was made by the Minister of State for Animal Industry, Bright Rwamirama while officiating at a workshop on agricultural risk management at the Imperial Royale hotel in Kampala.

He said that many investors have been dodging to invest in the sector which employs the largest population of Ugandans claiming that the agricultural sector is risky thus cannot easily give back returns.

He admitted that sometimes there may be production risks which may be taken for granted until calamity strikes but planning beforehand can improve the situation.

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“Overcoming the many challenges facing African agriculture is a gigantic task that requires addressing many issues including developing adequate capacities for research in order to develop high yielding and disease-resistant seeds,” said president Kikwete.

The president added: “In 2006, the government of Tanzania developed a comprehensive 14-year Agricultural Sector Development Programme to overcome the challenges. The purpose is to increase agricultural productivity through more application of modern science and technology.”

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The Serengeti District Council Executive Director (DED), Ms Goody Pamba, made the revelation during a full council meeting on Wednesday. “Tobacco has earned Serengeti farmers 8.42bn/-from the 2,520.13 tonnes sold this season,” Ms Goody told the Serengeti District Council full meeting.

The meeting was chaired by Serengeti District Council Chairman, John Ng’oina. The district council, she said is keen on ensuring that tobacco farming does not have any negative impact on food security and environmental conservation in the wildlife rich district.

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With about 62 per cent of its population living under the poverty line, the district remains one of the poorest in the country.

As majority of its population relies entirely on agriculture, local leaders believe developing the sector would significantly uplift the lives of residents and speed up development.

Mayor Francois Habitegeko said the plan is to support tea and coffee farmers to keep on improving the quality and quantity of their crops. The hilly district is favourable to tea and coffee production due to its climate and soil acidity.

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A tour of the two farming districts of Kwahu Afram Plains North and Kwahu Afrarm Plains South depicted that farmers there are now able to cultivate four times bigger acreages than they did previously, and their output per acre has more than quadrupled, thanks to such simple-but-effective technologies as irrigation pumps, improved seeds and animal breeds.

The Afram Plains District Agriculture Development Project (APDADP) is the brain behind the mechanisation of agriculture and the wonders it is doing in the Afram Plains.

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And for Namibia they recommend mopani worms. In fact the Ministry of Trade and Industry is confident that mopani worms have the potential to become an export item, equal to indigenous products such as the marula oil and silk from moths found on the Acacia tree. “The mopani worm could follow the same route,” opines Minister of Trade and Industry Calle Schlettwein when reached for comment this week. Schlettwein confirmed that his ministry is looking at all commodities to develop as consumer-ready products.

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Mr. Hawkins, who described Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as one of the most effective governors in Nigeria made the disclosure during a courtesy call and inspection of projects in the state, yesterday.

The Consul-General said the $250 million fertilizer plant is being planned by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation of the United State Government.

“We are here because we are proud that the Overseas Private Investment Corporation of the US government is involved with the Green Petrochemical Company which is making a $250 million investment and we are happy that this important fertilizer plant will have the support of the United States Government. It will create about one thousand five hundred jobs. That is something we are hoping to take a look at when we are here,” he noted.

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