He noted that Ghana’s cocoa production had fallen sharply in recent seasons, dropping to between 650,000 and 700,000 tonnes in 2024, far below peaks of more than one million tonnes in previous years. Iddrisu, who was the 2024 Ahafo Regional Best Physically Challenged Farmer, said he turned to cashew after a major setback. “I started a 16-acre cocoa farm in 2009 but by 2013, I was done. Iddrisu noted that cashew, originally introduced to support cocoa production, had now changed the landscape, helping to reduce bushfires as its plantations steadily replace the dry grasslands that once fuelled frequent fires. He said after years of droughts and uncertainty in the cocoa industry, the quiet cashew boom in the area had renewed confidence, stressing that it had brought hope back to these communities.

Source: GhanaWeb March 01, 2026 22:02 UTC