The General Secretary for the General Agricultural Workers Union [GAWU], Edward Kareweh is championing the implementation of a comprehensive national plan for the production of cassava for both domestic and industrial functions in Ghana.
Cassava is a significant food crop globally, particularly in Africa and holds substantial economic values due to its application across various industries.
However, cassava production in Ghana has been declining as farmers shift their focus to other crops. a situation if not curbed, may lead to significant shortage of cassava in the Ghanaian market.
Mr. Edward Kareweh, attributes this declining cassava production to the absence of a reliable market for the crop. He however says it is important to create a stable and consistent market for cassava to incentivize farmers to invest in its cultivation.
“First in foremost, we need to create market for cassava, cassava as I said is perishable and it’s also one food stuff that hardly do people eat it alone, the ampasie part of it is not so popular even though some people eat it that way but generally it is added to other food stuff, like to pound fufu and so on, that is cassava for consumption but what about the industrial cassava”. He questioned
“So what we need is to create a market for it and a market also for the industrial cassava so that farmers can grow some variety for consumption and another variety for the industrial cassava.” Mr. Kareweh indicated.
He is of the view that, the creation of the market for the industrial cassava will go a long way in fully utilizing the economic benefits of cassava.
“so this is what we need to do, we need to create a market because apart from preserving the cassava which we will use for konkonte and dough, we don’t have much uses of it when its dried”
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com/Clement Blankson
