This year’s shea production has seen a significant decline of 40%, a drop that experts are attributing to climate change, harmful farming practices, and the excessive use of chemicals on farms. Mr. Senyo Kpelli, a technical advisor to the Tree Crop Authority in Tamale, mentioned these issues as acute factors affecting not only the shea industry but also the broader biosphere in northern Ghana.
The immoderate use of chemicals in farming has particularly troubling consequences. According to Mr. Kpelli, these chemicals are killing the bees that are essential for pollinating shea nuts.
This decrease in bee populations has had a contagion effect, with communities in Damongo and Kukua now facing a shortage of honey, a byproduct of the bees’ pollination activities.
“The chemicals keep killing the bees that pollinate the shea nuts. No wonder people can’t get honey to buy in Damongo and Kukua anymore,” Mr. Kpelli noted with concern. The absence of these essential pollinators is not only reducing shea yields but also disrupting local honey production, a source of income for many families.
Mr. Kpelli also shed light on the economic dynamics affecting shea farmers. Although the government has set a minimum price of 4.7 cedis per kilogram of shea butter to protect farmers from being exploited, many are selling at 7 cedis per kilogram. “A minimum price is not a trading price; it is meant to protect farmers from being cheated,” he explained. This discrepancy focuses on the challenges in enforcing pricing standards and ensuring that farmers receive fair compensation for their products.
The decline in local production has forced Ghana to import shea butter from neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Niger. Despite the challenges, Mr. Kpelli sees a silver lining in this development. He noted that this importation is beneficial as it allows investors to add value to the raw materials before exporting them to markets in Europe and beyond. Ghana’s current processing capacity stands at 400,000 metric tons, yet the country’s local production is only 100,000 metric tons, emphasizing the need for additional raw materials to meet demand.
To address the decline in shea production, Mr. Kpelli highlighted the need for farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices that protect the natural habitat of bees and other pollinators. “Farmers need to adopt good farming practices so the bees can stay in their natural habitat and pollinate the shea nuts,” he urged.
