WOMEN IN SHEANUT INDUSTRY NEED SUPPORT (PAGE 11)

AGRICULTURE is undoubtedly the mainstay of the people in the Northern Region.
This dependable source of livelihood for the people has, however, suffered a setback as a result of a lack of innovative technologies, credit facilities, high cost of farm inputs and, more importantly, inaccessible storage and market outlets for farm products.
Even though there had been some interventions by the government and civil society groups to help address these recurrent problems over the years, much still needs to be done to turn the fortunes of the poor farmers around.
Women, who have contributed immensely to the sector in the area over the years, continue to offer their best, in spite of the constraints. They however receive very little in return for their labour.
Majority of women in the north have now shifted their attention to the sheabutter industry. It has certainly become the vocation of most unemployed young ladies and the elderly women in the area.
The fascinating thing about the nut is that the sheanut tree grows widely in the area. This, therefore, makes it easy for the women, especially those in the rural areas, to pick up the nuts for onward processing to earn some income.
This is, however, not without its own challenges as the poor women spend most part of the day in the bush thus, exposing them to the dangers of snake bites and other threats to their lives, without fair prices for the product to commensurate with their hard work.
Prices are dictated by foreign companies and their representatives who take advantage of the ignorance of the people and the lack of available market for the product in the area to purchase it at cheaper prices for export.
Some of the sheanut is also processed into edible oil and cream for local use. Unfortunately, the women have not got the capacity to make their finish products attractive to their consumers.
A 43-year-old mother at Diyeli in the Savelugu/Nanton District, Azara Fuseini, said, ‘‘This is the season for the picking of the nuts, which we have been doing about two months ago. I wake up early every morning to go to the bush to do the picking with my elder daughter, Sana.’’
She, however, explained the reason why Sana and her other three siblings were not in school, because according to her, the husband, Afah Fuseini, even though had been going to farm, they still found it difficult to make ends meet.
Even though some community-based organisations have been assisting some women groups with small credit, much support is still needed to help improve on the lot of the women who are marginalised in their respective communities.
Since women are the bedrock of the home, any support offered them would eventually benefit the entire family, including children.
In this regard, the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, advised the women not only to form co-operative groups, but also make sure that such bodies were viable to make it possible for them to access assistance from banks and other financial institutions to derive maximum benefits from their toils.