The Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) has officially dismissed circulating claims that Ghana's minimum producer price for raw cashew nuts was set at GH¢25 per kilogramme, describing the reports as complete misinformation.

In a public statement, the regulatory body clarified the official historical and current pricing structures to set the record straight and protect market confidence. 

The TCDA noted that the official minimum producer price announced for the 2024 season was GH¢8.50 per kilogramme, while the highest rate recorded was GH¢15.00 per kilogramme during the 2025 season.

For the current 2026 season, the TCDA explained that the standard pricing formula calculated an indicative minimum producer price of GH¢11.16 per kilogramme. 

However, to provide additional financial cushion and support to local farmers, the government, through the Authority, rounded up and approved a flat rate of GH¢12.00 per kilogramme.

Farmgate Prices Guided by Global Market Indicators

The authority strongly emphasised that cashew farmgate prices in Ghana are never arbitrarily determined. 

Instead, the figures are arrived at through a highly structured, transparent, and consultative process that directly involves key stakeholders and actors across the entire agricultural value chain.

According to the TCDA, these periodic pricing negotiations are strictly guided by critical international market indicators, including prevailing Free on Board (FOB) prices, macroeconomic exchange rate trends, and localised operational costs.

Ghana’s Pricing Remains Competitive Globally

Despite local debates over pricing adjustments, the TCDA highlighted that Ghana’s minimum cashew producer prices have consistently remained among the highest within the West African sub-region.

The statement provided a comparative breakdown of current farmgate prices in neighbouring countries, which currently range between GH¢7.15 and GH¢8.00 per kilogramme:

- Côte d'Ivoire: Between GH¢7.85 and GH¢8.00

- Burkina Faso: Between GH¢7.55 and GH¢7.80

- Benin: Between GH¢7.36 and GH¢7.50

- Togo: Between GH¢7.15 and GH¢7.30

Mandate and Calls for Fact-Checking

Established under the Tree Crops Development Authority Act, 2019 (Act 1010), the TCDA is statutorily mandated to regulate, monitor, and develop the production, processing, and trading of six major tree crops: cashew, coconut, oil palm, rubber, mango, and shea.

The regulatory body reaffirmed its broader institutional commitment to progressively improving domestic farmer incomes. This strategy focuses heavily on driving value-addition initiatives — particularly through the local processing of cashew apples — to support the government's overarching Agriculture for Economic Transformation agenda.

Concluding the statement, the TCDA strongly urged the general public, agricultural stakeholders, media practitioners, and bloggers to thoroughly verify all industry information from official regulatory sources before publication. 

The authority stressed that maintaining an accurate public discourse is essential for safeguarding farmer interests and ensuring sustainable growth across the cashew sector.