Nkoranman Rural Bank disburses GH¢200m loans to cashew farmers 

The Nsawkaw branch of the Nkoranman Rural Bank in the Tain District of the Bono Region has disbursed loans totaling GH¢200 million to cashew farmers in the area in the last cashew season, Mr Hamid Seidu, the branch manager has disclosed.  
  
He emphasised that the bank remained dedicated to supporting and enhancing the socio-economic livelihoods of farmers and also boosting cashew production.  
  
Mr Seidu urged the cashew farmers to ensure proper documentation and keep records as well as form cooperatives to enable them to access more loans from the bank.    

The branch manager disclosed this when speaking at a day’s dialogue at Nsawkaw, the district capital, organised by Cashew Watch Ghana (CWG), a civil society organisation that advocates for the tackling of the bottlenecks impeding the growth of the cashew sector.    

Attended by the cashew farmers, financial institutions and actors in the cashew value chain, the dialogue aligned with the implementation of the “Amplifying the voices of cashew farmers project,” being executed by the CWG with funding from the Star Ghana Foundation.    

It sought to bridge the information gap between farmers and financial institutions as well as strengthening collaboration to improve farmers’ access to credit facilities.    

The dialogue was provided an opportunity for financial institutions to outline their lending requirements, eligibility criteria, and procedures for accessing credit facilities.    

It comes in the wake of farmers’ complaints about stringent conditions, high interest rates, and lack of clarity on documentation that limit their ability to secure loans and to expand their economic activities.    

Mr Seidu urged the cashew farmers to cultivate the culture of savings and maintain good repayment histories, saying that those factors improve their chances of accessing larger credit facilities in subsequent seasons.    

Earlier in a welcoming address, Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the National Coordinator of the CWG, said the organisation remained committed to advocating implementation of policies that sought to strengthen the cashew value chain.    

He noted that though the cashew sector in the area had huge economic prospects, access to finance remained one of the biggest challenges confronting the farmers and called on the financial institutions to support the farmers with soft loans.    

In an open forum, some of the cashew farmers lauded the dialogue, describing discussions as insightful and beneficial, saying that empowering farmers with the required information and financial access remained critical to sustaining the growth of the sector.    

Some were also of the view that access to affordable loans would enable them to procure quality seedlings, invest in farm maintenance, adopt improved agronomic practices, and thereby increase cashew productivity.    

Other financial institutions which participated in the dialogue include the Opportunity International and Brong Ahafo Catholic Co-operative Society for Development Ltd (BACSSOD).  

Link:https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2026/02/23/nkoranman-rural-bank-disbur...