Tackle marketing challenges in shea butter production value chain to empower more women – WOM
According to the group, resolving these challenges would significantly improve the livelihoods of many rural women who depend on the sector for income.
The Widows and Orphans Movement in the Upper East Region has called on political leaders and stakeholders in the shea industry to address the marketing challenges confronting women involved in the shea value chain.
According to the group, resolving these challenges would significantly improve the livelihoods of many rural women who depend on the sector for income.
Speaking on the Big Mike Breakfast Show on Monday, March 16, Lovia Moor, Income Generation Officer of the Widows and Orphans Movement in the region, said more attention must be given to the pricing and marketing difficulties faced by women who collect and process shea nuts.
She noted that many women collectors are often compelled to sell their produce at very low prices during the shea season due to financial pressures.
“Pricing for collectors remains a major issue. During the shea season, buyers come to purchase shea nuts from these women, but the prices they offer are sometimes very discouraging. Because the women urgently need the money, they often have no choice but to accept the low prices,” she explained.
Moor emphasized that the shea value chain holds significant potential for improving the livelihoods of women, particularly those in rural communities, if the right interventions are introduced to address existing challenges in the sector.
She therefore appealed to regional authorities and relevant stakeholders to consider measures that would help stabilize prices for shea nuts to ensure fair earnings for women collectors.
“When the season begins, the Regional Minister and other stakeholders should engage buyers to ensure that the nuts are purchased at a uniform and fair price to protect the incomes of these women,” she said.
Moor also revealed that the Widows and Orphans Movement has supported many women with training to process shea butter into value-added products such as pomade, which helps them generate additional income.
She encouraged other development partners and stakeholders to support similar initiatives to expand opportunities for women in the sector.
She further urged Ghana to explore broader uses of shea products beyond export, noting that increasing local consumption could create more opportunities within the industry.
Moor therefore encouraged Ghanaians to patronize locally produced shea butter and related products as the country marks Ghana Month, highlighting the cultural and economic importance of the commodity.
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