Enhancing Productivity and Inclusiveness in the Cashew Chain (EPIC) is a project implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ Gmbh in collaboration with Olam Edible Nuts, Ghana. The project seeks to enhance the livelihood of over 25,000 people involved in the cashew value chain in Brong Ahafo and Northern Regions of Ghana, through improved quality and quantity of raw cashew nuts. In this process, additional employment opportunities, 400 female relatives (daughters/family) of cashew farmers, will be trained and supported in apiculture (bee keeping). Apiculture will not only generate income but it will also help in pollination on the cashew Farms.
This project is also aimed at improving access to health care by facilitating assessibility to NHIS . It is expected that, upon completion of this Olam collaboration with GIZ E4D, Cashew production in Ghana would increases by 10,500 tons and 410 new jobs created in honey production.
Olam Ghana, which is one of the leading agro-commodity companies in the country, operating across six different product categories: cocoa, cashew, biscuits, tomato paste, wheat and rice. The company is the leading cashew exporter in Ghana today, and has a staff of 45 locals that are engaged in raw cashew nut trading, farmer trainings on crop quality and quantity improvement, farmer credit and infrastructure support.
The Team Leader of Employment for Sustainable Development in Africa (Ghana), John C. Duti, strongly appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and Trade and Industry (MoTI) to spearhead the campaign for Government to establish the Tree-Crops Development Board (for non-traditional tree crops-including cashew across its value chain). To regulate and set the minimum pricing which will help deal with the price fluctuation in order to increase incomes of existing farmers as well as encourage the youth into the cashew value chain.