Bolgatanga, May 29, GNA- Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the three Northern Regions have appealed to Government to as a matter of urgency construct a policy on the Shea nut industry with the view to making it more viable. Members of the CSO stressed that just as the cocoa industry is heavily supported by government, it should give that same special attention to the shea nut industry.

At a two-day dissemination workshop on Shea nut, they indicated that the crop also had the potential just as cocoa to accelerate the wealth creation the three Northern Regions if given the needed attention. The two-day workshop under the theme:" Effects of Climatic Change on Shea-Dissemination" was organized by the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) and Fair Trade Foundation in Bolgatanga on Friday The CSOs asked that the Cocoa Research Institute and Cocoa Marketing Board review its procedure on the Shea nut industry by putting the necessary measures in place to make the sector more vibrant. They also called for the development of a Shea Plantation Development Project to aid farmers get easy access to seedlings for planting.

They suggested the need for Government to domesticate Shea nut trees in the northern sectors and support the formation of Shea nut cooperative societies to which could be empowered through the provision of logistics and finance to go into large scale Shea nut cultivation. The members also advocated for other alternative livelihood programmes for Shea tree communities so as to prevent them from felling trees indiscriminately for charcoal burning which degenerates into bushfires and other environmental problems.

The CSOs stressed the need to speed up the formation of Shea nut networks in the three Northern Regions to champion the cause of the industry. They appealed to Regional Coordinating Councils and District Assemblies in the three Northern Regions to give support and to play leading roles in the implementation of all programmes in the Shea nut industry and to also pass bye-laws to stop bush fires and indiscriminate felling of trees. A research on the Shea tree was carried out in 2009 in the Northern Sector by a Consultant, Eliot Masters. The outcome of the research was that majority of people especially women, in the three Northern Regions depended largely on Shea nuts for their livelihoods. It was also realized that climate change was seriously affecting the Shea trees and other plants. 29 May 10