The Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) has announced a new Minimum Producer Price (MPP) for raw shea nuts as part of measures to enhance sustainability, protect local producers, and ensure international competitiveness within Ghana’s shea sector.
Effective July 1, 2025, the minimum price for raw shea kernels has been fixed at GH₵9.01 per kilogram, or GH₵765.63 per 85-kilogram bag. The price is pegged to quality specifications including moisture content between eight to 10 per cent, free fatty acids between six to eight per cent, and impurities ranging from two to four per cent.
According to a statement from the Authority, this marks the first time Ghana has introduced a detailed quality-based pricing model for shea nuts—an approach industry stakeholders believe will incentivise better harvesting and post-harvest practices, while ensuring producers receive fair compensation.
“Shea is one of Ghana’s major non-traditional exports and a key livelihood source for thousands of smallholder farmers and women-led cooperatives, particularly in the north,” the TCDA said. “This pricing directive is intended to strengthen the economic returns from shea and promote sector-wide sustainability.”
In addition to the new pricing regime, the Authority has begun strict enforcement of Regulation 50 of the Tree Crops Regulations 2023 (L.I. 2471), which mandates that all exporters of unprocessed shea, cashew, and rubber must secure an export permit from the TCDA.
The regulation, which came into force on May 2, 2025, also requires exporters to provide proof of payment of development levies before they can obtain a phytosanitary certificate from the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD).
The TCDA says this dual-layer system is designed to ensure better traceability and compliance with both environmental and quality standards.
Interested exporters are expected to apply in person at the TCDA Head Office in Accra or via the official contact channels listed in the directive. The Authority warned that failure to comply with the new measures constitutes a violation of the TCDA Act, 2019 (Act 1010) and may attract sanctions.
The latest announcements form part of the TCDA’s broader push to formalise trade in Ghana’s tree crops sector and build a globally competitive export industry based on fairness, transparency, and sustainability.
SOURCE: GRAPHICONLINE
