Farming and trading of cashew nuts

Isaac

Techiman, Ghana

31% repaid

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How it Works

Entrepreneur

Name

Isaac

Member since

March 2016

On-time repayments

55 installments • 56%

About Me

I live in Techiman in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. I am a teacher by profession and teach in Menji Agric senior high school in the Tain district in Ghana.
My knowledge in Agriculture during my senior high school, coupled with my passion for farming has enabled me to engage in cashew farming.
Proceeds from my farm will enable me to help take care of my family of four and other three dependants( cousin and nephew) who are schooling.
I periodically offer assistance to brilliant but needy and orphan kids in both my community and the school I teach.
My ambition is to become a renowned cashew farmer in future.
My hobbies are reading story books, watching football and listening to music.

My Business

I have a three hectare cashew farm which was started two years ago. My crops have started fruiting and I hope to start harvesting by next year. I employ casual labour to help with the management of my farm.
I also deal in buying and selling of cashew nuts and shea nuts.
Brong Ahafo region of Ghana has been blessed with cashew which serves as the main cash crop in the region.I purchase cashew nuts from farmers in the nearby communities and convey to cashew buying centers (mostly in towns) for sale. Most of the farmers are unable to convey their nuts to towns for sale.
My plan is to expand my cashew retail into wholesale in future and employ extra hands. I will also process the cashew fruits into fruit juice in the near future since emphasis is placed on the nuts, leaving the fruits to get rotten.
I come from the northern part of Ghana which is blessed with shea nuts. Shea butter is extracted from the shea nuts for consumption and export. Most of the indigenous people have difficulty in selling the shea nuts so I move around the region and buy from the rural folks and sell to the shea butter companies in the cities.

Loan Proposal

I have a cashew farm which received support from the previous zidisha loan. Part of the loan I would secure would be used to create a fire belt around my farm to prevent bush fires from destroying it since we are in the harmattan season. I would use about $60 on the fire belt and use $190 for the purchase of the cashew. Part of my monthly salary would be used to a buy a weighing scale and also cater for transportation and other expenses. Hoping my loan would be funded to realise my dream and also give back to the society.