The Nandom Municipal Assembly in the Upper West in collaboration with the Cocoa Research Institute has established a shea seedling nursery at Kokoligu.
The shea seedlings with a gestation period of between 3 and 4 years will be distributed to farmers when they mature.
The MCE for Nandom, Thaddeus Arkum Aasoglenang said the nursery is part of a grand scheme for a shea butter processing factory to be set up in Nandom to improve on the production of shea in the municipality.
Speaking to the GBC, Mr Aasoglenang said the shea plantations will ensure that the processing factory does not run out of raw material.
The Nandom Municipality is one of the many areas in the Upper West Region that produces a lot of shea butter and other shea products. Women cooperatives scattered across the Municipality are able to make these products by gathering shea nuts from wild shea trees.
According to the MCE for Nandom, Thaddeus Arkum Aasoglena, the Nandom Municipal Assembly in the Upper West in collaboration with the Cocoa Research Institute has established a shea seedling nursery at Kokoligu.
According to him, relying on shea nuts from wild trees for processing at a factory is unsustainable.
He said in 2018, the Nandom Assembly together with some private investors began drawing plans for the establishment of a shea processing factory. Mr Aasoglenang said to satisfy first the issue of adequate raw materials, shea seedlings are being nursed at Kokoligu for later distribution to farmers.
A total of 22,000 seedlings are expected to be distributed to farmers.
“Because we have an interest in coming out with a factory, we have had a partnership with the Cocoa Research Institute and have established a shea seedling nursery in Kokoligu. As at now, the women have potted several shea nut seedlings and when they mature we will give them to farmers to plant,” he said.
The MCE stressed that the factory is essential because “we want to ensure that the raw material is available all year round. Even though we have the shea trees they are in the wild and we cannot guarantee they will be available all year”.
The MCE said the Nandom Assembly is not only focusing on the establishment of shea plantation. He said under the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD), cashew seedlings have been distributed to farmers.
The Nandom District Director of Agriculture, Gaeten Baligi said more than 71,000 of cashew seedlings have been distributed to farmers this year. Mr Baligi said plans are far advanced for mangoes to be included under the Planting for Export and Rural Development PERD.
He said the only reason why the mango was added this year was that the supplier delayed in supplying the mango seedlings. The Director of Agriculture said mini-factories for the processing of all cash crop fruits for sale are in the offing. The Nandom District Director of Agriculture, Gaeten Baligi assured of rigorous monitoring to ensure the survival of the distributed seedlings.
Story filed by Mark Smith.
