[Ghana] ADRA Country Director urges Ghanaians to make most of cashew vision

May 31, 2019

The Country Director for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has revealed that cashew generated $224 million for the country from a total export of 163,000 metric tonnes in 2016/2017 farming season.  

Images by IT

Dr William Y.K. Brown says cashew, a non-traditional crop, has become a major foreign exchange earner and it is high time people start paying attention to the cultivation of the crop.

“Within the agricultural sector Cashew present huge opportunities for employment and income generation for thousands of people in Northern Savannah vegetation zones,” he said.

The Country Director is confident that the industry will increase access to employment opportunities, ensure the sustainability of development of local authorities and increase income-generating activities in cashew growing areas in the selected districts by 2021.

Dr Brown added that the Municipal and District Assembly’s revenue will increase by 10% in cashew growing districts. 

He disclosed this during the launch of the European Union Co-Funded Bono-Asante Cashew Project Dubbed “Cashew for income and jobs” in Wenchi in the Bono Region. 

According to him, the Project seeks to achieve SDG 1, 8 and 17 in five selected districts namely; Ejura-Sekyedumase District, Wenchi, Jaman North, Nkoranza North and Tain District. These districts have a target of reaching 14,500 individuals including farmers, nut collectors, aggregators, honey producers, transporters and exporters within three years. 

The launch was organized by ADRA, a global Humanitarian organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church with a mission to work with people in poverty and distress areas to create just and positive change.

The Country Director said Ghana has a comparative advantage to export more cashew to the global market yet the non-adoption of innovations makes it impossible for the farmers to produce the required volumes for local processing and export.

The Project Manager for the Project, Dr Anthony Augustus Mainoo said the Project is expected to increase the farmers' income by 30%, employment within the sector and knowledge on climate change in relation to cashew production.

According to him, the five basic practices of pruning, spraying of farms to control diseases and pests, manuring and fertilization, weed control and effective nut collection can help improve farmers yields namely:

He therefore urged farmers to adhere to these practices to increase their yields and incomes for improved living standards.

To give a strong boost to the sector, Dr Mainoo said his outfit would also increase theoretical knowledge and practical skills of cashew farmers along the value chain.

On his part, Dr Prince Kwakye Afriyie Municipal Chief Executive for Wenchi indicated that the industry has revolutionised and proven that farming can be a good income earner that sustains livelihoods.

"There may still be numerous challenges facing this industry but the fact that its gains are guaranteed makes it a worthy venture especially considering the fact that the government and other stakeholders are working on fixing these issues," he said. 

The Wenchi Baamhene and acting president Wenchi Traditional Council, Nana Tabiri Asimpi Adinka Kosopre, said the aggregators must go beyond only collecting and exporting cashew.

“They don’t read about the conditions in terms of the climate issue, in terms of packaging, they don’t look at the standards at all, they are just eager to export,” he said.

He wants them to be able to advise on how farmers can produce quality cashew.

"I believe collectively we can chart a path which builds on our unique strengths in our quest to increase cashew production in Ghana, Cashew nut has risen to become the second largest foreign exchange earner and export crop for Ghana. He urged all to be supportive in various stages of production".  

Also present at the launch were representatives from the Cashew Farmer's Associations, M/DCE's, Coordinating Directors, Planning Officers, DoA Directors, Cashew Desk Officers, Officials from ADRA.

Reporters

Source: My Joy Online

[Tanzania] Cashew payment mode adopted for cotton

May 31, 2019

Mwanza. The government has announced a new payment system for cotton farmers as one of the steps towards overhauling the sub-sector that employs about 500,000 farmers across the country.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa

Under the new system – which was formally announced by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa on Wednesday – farmers will be required to open a bank account into which their payments will be made. 

This is how payments are routinely made to cashew nut farmers in Mtwara, Lindi, Ruvuma, Coast and Tanga Regions. 

However, it will be a novelty for cotton farmers who are used to being paid cash on the barrelhead for their produce. 

Prime Minister Majaliwa informed stakeholders in the cotton industry that other cash crop farmers will also be paid through the same system. 

Under the new system, Agricultural Marketing Co-operative Societies (Amcos) will be responsible for coordinating the buying and selling processes on behalf of their members.

“The government will take the responsibility of convincing the banks to facilitate banking operations for farmers,” said the premier. 

Mr Majaliwa said that the electronic payment system will guarantee financial security for both farmers and traders, as they will no longer need to carry cash with them. 

The meeting was attended by the deputy minister for Agriculture, Mr Innocent Bashungwa who said that cotton production this season is expected to reach 450,000 kilos compared with 222,000 kilos in the last harvest season. 

Mr Marko Mtunga, the Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB) director general, said the board is implementing a number of strategies intended to increase cotton production in the country. 

The goal, he revealed, is to reach 800-to-1,200 kilos an acre, up from the current production of 200-300 kilos. 

However, the Itilima District agricultural officer in Simiyu Region, Mateso Paul, told The Citizen over the ’phone that the newly-instituted electronic mode of payment will not readily go down well with many farmers – especially considering the nature of the exercise. 

He said cotton could not be compared with tea or cashew nuts as these two cash crops take long to market. This is unlike cotton, whereby farmers sell their produce immediately after harvesting. 

Processing of their payment after every sale would have many complications. Initially, farmers signed contracts with prospective buyers who then provided them with inputs, including pesticides. 

This modality was later halted by government which said it was adversely affecting farmers’ incomes, while unduly benefiting the buying companies. 

A cotton farmer in Misungwi District, Elikana Elia, said there was no standardized mode of cotton farming which would force farmers to open new bank accounts every harvesting season. 

He also expressed concern that the system could be to the disadvantage of unschooled farmers. 

According to Prime Minister Majaliwa, cotton production in the 2018/2019 harvest season was 222,000 tonnes – an amount that is projected to reach 450,000 tonnes in the next harvest season.

By Jonathan Musa

Source: The Citizen Tanzania

[Mozambique]: Cashew Sector Meets in Gurue

May 30, 2019

Maputo — Exports of cashew nuts, both raw nuts and processed kernels, earned Mozambique about five billion meticais (around 81 million US dollars, at current exchange rates) over the last seven months, according to data released on Wednesday, at a national meeting of the cashew sector, held in the town of Gurue, in the central province of Zambezia.

Image source by Mozacaju

Opening the meeting, the Zambezia provincial governor, Abdul Razak, cited in Thursday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", said that, if all Mozambican cashew production had been processed locally, then there would have been many more gains in terms of employment and export revenue.

Mozambique has 17 cashew processing plants, mostly in Nampula, Zambezia and Cabo Delgado provinces, employing around 17,000 workers. Razak believed there is potential for greatly expanding production and exports.

At the start of the 2015-2019 period, the cashew factories that then existed could process 30,000 tonnes of nuts. Razak said the figure has now risen to 70,000 tonnes.

Nonetheless half the cashew nuts marketed are exported raw, and are processed in countries such as India or Vietnam. According to Santos Feijone, head of the Economics Department in the government's Cashew Promotion Institute (INCAJU), in the 2010-2014 five year period, an average of 90,000 tonnes of cashew nuts a year were marketed. Over the current five year period, the figure for marketing has risen to 130,000 tonnes a year.

The producers earned an annual average of rather more than 430,000 dollars for their raw nuts, said Feijone, while the export of cashew kernels brought in an average of 194,000 dollars.

In a message presented to the Gurue meeting, the producers complained of low prices for the nuts. The prices, they said, are fixed by the buyers.

Data from the economics department indicate a sharp rise in the export of processed kernels. Last year, 7,000 tonnes were exported to the United States, Italy, Holland, Norway and South Africa. But in the first quarter of this year exports of kernels to the same countries reached 26,000 tonnes. Over the last seven months, 92,000 tonnes of raw nuts were sold to India and Vietnam.

Razak pointed out that increasing the production and productivity of the national cashew orchard requires measures to deal with indiscriminate bush fires, which often destroy cashew trees, and improved management of the trees, which are vulnerable to fungal and insect pests.

Reporters

Source: All Africa

[Mozambique] sees progress in cashew marketing

May 30, 2019

The average sales volume of cashew nuts has increased from 90,000 tons per year in the last five years to 130,000 tons per year in the current five-year period.

in file CoM

These figures were made public at the annual meeting of the cashew sub-sector in Zambézia, where industry, producers, companies and other entities will review various issues related to production, quality and marketing.

Santos Feijone, head of the Department of Economics at the Institute for Cashew Development (INCAJU), acknowledges that the country still needs to work to improve the quality of its cashew nuts to compete worldwide. The quality of processed cashews in Mozambique is the lowest in Africa, despite having risen from 44 in the last quinquennium to 46 in the present five-year period.

The average price of cashew nut produced in Mozambique has shown significant improvement, having, for the first time, risen to above one dollar per kilo in the 2017/2018 season.

“The national industry currently processes more than 50% of the marketed nuts, against about 35% at the beginning of the five-year period, with the number of permanent jobs growing above 70%,” Feijone said.

In the present five-year period, gross revenue of cashew producers nation-wide reached a threshold of just over US$430,000, with an additional US$194,000 in export earnings.

By Jorge Marcos

Source: O Pais

[UK] [Cyprus] [WA] [Hong Kong] Concordia investment in Pearlside bolsters DekelOil investment in cashews

May 30, 2019

Images by IT

Dekeloil Public Ltd

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West Africa-focussed agricultural company DekelOil Public announced on Thursday that its investee company PearlsideHoldings has successfully completed an equity investment with Hong Kong-based private equity company Concordia Corporation.

The AIM-traded firm said the equity proceeds would be used by Pearlside's wholly-owned subsidiary Capro to assist with the development of a large-scale 10,000 tonnes per annum (tpa), and expandable to 30,000 tpa, raw cashew nut processing project at Tiebissou in Côte d'Ivoire.

Capro was now embarking on the construction phase at Tiebissou, with first production to commence within 12 months.

Once operational, Tiebissou would be DekelOil's second producing project in Cote d'Ivoire, alongside its Ayenouan palm oil project.

The company said the Concordia Investment was based on an implied €6m pre-money valuation, with the investment being completed on the same valuation of Pearlside as undertaken by DekelOil in December.

However, as a result of DekelOil issuing consideration shares at a “significant” premium to their actual value in that transaction, the actual effective consideration paid by DekelOil was a €4.2m valuation, implying a 42.8% uplift for DekelOil in the new investment round.

In settlement of the Concordia investment and associated broking fees payable, Concordia had been issued with 717 new ordinary shares in Pearlside, representing 14.9% of its enlarged issued share capital, increasing its aggregate shareholding to 32.8%.

At the same time, DekelOil said it had elected to receive repayment of a €0.32m short term bridge loan it advanced to Pearlside while the Concordia Investment was completed, by receiving €0.24m in cash and converting €0.08m cash into new shares in Pearlside, also based on a €6m pre-money valuation.

Following those equity issues, DekelOil was now interested in 37.8% of Pearlside’s total issued share capital.

DekelOil said its option to acquire a controlling interest in Pearlside remained in place, and currently stood at 17% of shares in issue.

The total cost to build and commission the initial 10,000 tpa plant was estimated at $15m, which would be made up of $6m for working capital and $9m for the construction of the processing plant.

In addition to the Concordia investment, the debt structure had been advanced with the main benefit being obtaining a two-year principal grace period on all key project development loans, whereas previously it was only certain on the BIDC loan, the board explained.

That debt structure consisted of a seven-year $7.5m plant development from BIDC and NSIA, at a rate of 8.5% with two years principal grace.

It also contained a seven-year local bank loan for $1.7m at an 8% interest rate, with two years principal grace in the process of legal drafting, as the intention was to deploy those funds at construction completion, and a $7.5m RCN stock financing loan with an interest rate of 8.7%.

DekelOil explained that Tiebissou was to be developed in line with the collaborative model it had successfully deployed at its producing palm oil project at Ayenouan.

That was centred on constructing a state-of-the-art plant which would process raw cashew nuts grown by local smallholders.

Producing approximately 720,000 tonnes per annum, Côte d'Ivoire was described by the board as one of the largest producers of raw cashew nuts in the world, and was also the world's largest exporter.

A significant lack of value-adding processing capacity in Côte d'Ivoire restricted the amount of raw cashew nuts processed in-country, the board explained.

“Today's €1m investment by Concordia into Pearlside provides further endorsement of the attractive economics of an initial 10,000tpa cashew processing plant at Tiebissou,” said DekelOil executive director Lincoln Moore.

“By providing the funds needed for the drawdown of the development loans, the Concordia investment enables the commencement of construction work at the site, which in turn puts the project firmly on track for first production in time for 2020's cashew harvesting season.

“At this point, DekelOil will have been transformed into a multi-project, multi-commodity agriculture company, generating revenues that are not only far larger in terms of scale, but also diversified in terms of end markets.”

Moore noted that the company was also able to keep its interest in Pearlside largely intact without having to invest significant new funds in the company.

“I look forward to providing further updates on progress at Tiebissou in the near term, including confirmation of the loan drawdowns and commencement of works, as well as on operations at our vertically integrated palm oil project at Ayenouan, as we look to build a leading West African focused agricultural company, and in the process generate significant value for our shareholders.”

Josh White

Source: Share Cast

[Ghana] Farmers ditching cocoa for rubber, cashew – COCOBOD CEO

May 30, 2019

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Joseph Boahen Aidoo has explained why the government has decided to protect the interest of cocoa farmers despite unfavourable world pricing of the commodity.

CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Joseph Boahen Aidoo

According to him, the government “couldn’t reduce our cocoa price because the productivity is low in Ghana and it would have caused the farmers to lose interest and will motivate farmers to relinquish their cocoa farmlands for illegal mining, rubber and cashew plantations to the detriment of the cocoa industry.”

To Mr Aidoo, a decision to decrease cocoa prices in Ghana in the recent past would have marked the beginning of a collapse of cocoa farming in Ghana.

Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem show, Mr Aidoo said the decision to maintain the price was based on environmental and social impact that outweighed the economic effect.

“A survey by the Board found that substantial amounts of cocoa lands in the Eastern region and the former Brong Ahafo region had been lost to cashew and rubber plantations, leading to a decline in contribution to national output from those areas.

“When you go to Wenchi in the Brong Ahafo region, the large tracts of cashew farms you see there now used to be cocoa farms, but because of the low productivity and loss of interest in cocoa farming, farmers started converting their farms to cashew farms,” he added.

(adomonline.com)

Reporters

Source: Ghana Web

[India] A fungus that can degrade endosulfan identified

May 30, 2019

The commonly used insecticide was used to get rid of insects in cashew plantations and exposure to it is reported to have led to several health impacts in humans.

Photo: Getty Images

The excessive use of chemicals used as pesticides and insecticides poses danger to the environment as well as human health. A group of scientists at Delhi University has now identified a fungus that can help degrade residue of one such insecticide.

Endosulfan was a commonly used insecticide until its ill effects came to light in Kasaragod district of Kerala. The insecticide was used to get rid of insects in cashew plantations there and exposure to it is reported to have led to several health impacts in humans.

Although there is a general ban on its use, authorities allow its use for some cases such as to take care of bollworm infestation in cotton fields, in the absence of any alternative. In such a scenario, it is important to develop strategies to degrade excess endosulfan in soil and environment so that it does not reach water bodies and ultimately humans.

Researchers first searched the protein database online for an enzyme that can bind and thereafter degrade endosulfan and its other toxic form of endosulfan sulphate, which is formed when microbes act on it. Based on the results from this survey, scientists speculated that two enzymes phenol Hydroxylase from fungus Trichosporoncutaneum and bacterial CotA laccase from Bacillus subtilis (3ZDW)may be effective in neutralizing the toxic chemical.

To prove their hypothesis, the scientists got the fungus Trichosporoncutaneum from the Microbial Type Culture Collection and Gene Bank at Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh. It was grown in a medium deficient in sulphur so that it can utilize endosulfan and endosulfansulphate as source of sulphur for its growth. The fungus degraded endosulfan, which is composed of alpha and beta endosulfan differentially. The fungus degraded 60.36 per cent alpha-endosulfan, 70.73 per cent beta-endosulfan and 52.08 per cent endosulfansulphate in 15 days. This finding validated that the fungus can be used for cleaning areas polluted with endosulfan.

“Our work can be used in the development of bio-remediation technology. We can use this knowledge to clean the environment,” says Dileep K Singh, professor at Delhi University and leader of the research team, while talking to India Science Wire.

The research team also included Ngangbam Sarat Singh and Ranju Sharma. The findings have been published in journal Enzyme and Microbial technology. 

(India Science Wire)

By Aditi Jain

Source: Down to Earth India

[Vietnam],[Cote d'Ivoire] eye co-operation in agriculture

May 28, 2019

HCM CITY — Standing Vice Chairman of the HCM City’s People Committee Lê Thanh Liêm on Monday discussed measures to promote bilateral co-operation, particularly economic, with minister and secretary general of the presidency of the Ivory Coast, Achi Patrick.

A cashew processing line at P/A Company in southern province of Bình Phước. — Photo vinacas.vn

He believed that the visit by the West African guest would help boost economic ties and friendship between Việt Nam and the Ivory Coast.

Highlighting the thriving bilateral trade, which recently exceeded US$1 billion and made Ivory Coast Việt Nam’s top trade partner in Africa, he described the country as a promising market for Vietnamese agricultural products and an important raw materials supplier for Việt Nam.

HCM City is prioritising high-tech agriculture and bio-technology to achieve value-addition and the two sides have huge potential for collaboration, he said.

Patrick said he was impressed by the city’s dynamism, and hoped to learn from Việt Nam’s experience in national construction and development, including poverty alleviation and attraction of foreign investment.

He said the two sides should work together in agriculture, including aquaculture, for mutual benefit.

Promoting cashew processing

Ivory Coast has 1.4 million hectares under cashew and is the leading position in the world in term of cashew production with average productivity of 500kg per ha.

However, only 8 per cent of the output is processed for export, Patrick said.

In Việt Nam, Bình Phước is the main cashew growing province.

Patrick said his country wants to co-operate with businesses in the south central Bình Phước Province to promote cashew processing.

Huỳnh Anh Minh, vice chairman of the province People’s Committee, hailed the opportunity for co-operation in cashew processing with Ivory Coast.

Bình Phước has half the country’s total area under cashew.

Yet, it cannot meet the demand from processors, who therefore have to import raw cashew, Minh added. — VNS

Reporters

Source: Vietnam News

[Guinea-Bissau] coups, cocaine and cashews

March 10, 2019

© EMILIE IOB/AFP/Getty Images Bissau, capital city of Guinea-Bissau

The West African state of Guinea-Bissau was holding key legislative elections on Sunday aimed at ending a protracted political crisis.

Here is some background:

Four coups

A former Portuguese colony and onetime important source of slaves for the Americas, the small country on Africa's western bulge achieved independence in 1974 after an 11-year armed struggle.

Since then it has lived through four successful military coups -- the last one in 2012 -- as well as 16 attempted, plotted or alleged coups, according to a World Bank profile.

Instability and conflict have battered infrastructure and hobbled development, leaving Guinea-Bissau one of the world's poorest states.

© Provided by AFP Map of Guinea-Bissau, where legislative elections will be held on Sunday

The current president, Jose Mario Vaz, was elected in 2014.

Vaz vowed to bring stability but the country has been in the grip of a power struggle since August 2015, when he sacked his then prime minister Domingos Simoes Pereira. He has been followed by a string of prime ministers who were unable to muster a majority in parliament.

The body did not sit for nearly two years until an accord in April 2018 that saw Aristide Gomes appointed as "consensus prime minister".

Legislative elections were set for November 2018 but were postponed until March 10.

Cocaine route

At 36,100 square kilometres (14,440 square miles), the country is slightly larger than Belgium and includes a scattering of 88 islands in the Atlantic Ocean called the Bijagos.

These islands as well as a porous coastline and chaotic administration have provided fertile ground for Latin American drug lords trafficking cocaine to Europe.

1/127 SLIDES © Shahzaib Akber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

A cobbler makes traditional Khussa shoes ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival marking the end of holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Karachi, Pakistan, on May 28, 2019.

Senior government and military officials have been implicated in the traffic.

A US diplomatic cable in 2009, revealed by WikiLeaks, said Guinea-Bissau was in danger of becoming Africa's first narco-state.

In April 2013 US agents captured the former navy chief and alleged drugs trade kingpin in a sting operation at sea.

Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in jail, returning to Guinea-Bissau in October 2016.

The United Nations has praised Guinea-Bissau's progress since the election of Vaz in fighting drugs trafficking, but expressed disappointment in a recent report that it has not bolstered the fight over the past year.

Cashew cash-in

More than two-thirds of Guinea-Bissau's population of 1.86 million people (World Bank, 2017) live on under two dollars a day. More than a third live in extreme poverty on less than one dollar, according to UN figures.

It is placed as 13th lowest on the UN's 2018 Human Development Index that assesses development on the basis of health, poverty and other measures. Largely as a result of poor healthcare services, average life expectancy is 57.8 years.

Guinea-Bissau's main export is cashew nuts, which financed nearly half of the 2017 national budget.

It is Africa's third-largest cashew producer after Ivory Coast and Tanzania.

Economic growth reached 5.9 percent in 2017, but slowed to around 3.8 percent in 2018 after a drop in cashew production because of bad weather and a fall in prices, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

Guinea-Bissau's 44th anniversary of independence passed by without fanfare last September as the state coffers were bare.

Reporters

Source: AFP/ MSN News

[India] Bottled with health

May 29, 2019

The G Tap offers 18 varieties of dairy-free smoothies made with either almond,cashew or millet milk and seasonal fruits to maximise their nutrition and flavour.

The G Tap opened two months ago  R Satish Babu

CHENNAI : A rainbow-coloured kart is parked on a corner at the entrance of the Kora Food Street in Anna Nagar, with sample bottles of smoothies along with pamphlets placed on top. Curious visitors stop by to taste the products only to come later and buy it for themselves. The G Tap is a pet project of a nutrition-based brand called Gesund, and run by eight youngsters including Nishanth Radhakrishnan, Praveen Kumar, Bharath Hariharan and Mahesh RB, who wanted to tap the plant protein side of the market. 

Plant protein punch

Launched two months back, The G Tap offers dairy-free smoothies in 18 flavours. The products are categorised by the three bases used — almond milk, cashew milk, and millet milk. All are sourced from local markets and the milk is extracted in-house. We’re told that the recipes are standard to maintain the quality and based on suggestions from mothers and grandmothers. 

Each base has a customised set of flavours under them. “It might look like yet another juice brand from outside. We were particular about plant-based milk. Our people should imbibe conscious eating habits and a healthy lifestyle. The mission behind our brand is nutrition for all, hunger is healthy, and lifestyle is the new you,” said Nishanth, hinting towards their best-seller smoothie called Atom, which is made of dark cocoa and almond milk.

The team has curated the menu in such a way that every smoothie is named after an emotion based on the benefits of ingredients used. For instance, Comfort is an almond milk blend with chikoo fruit. Love is a pure almond and cashew milk blend with figs (considered to be good for sexuality). Positivity is cashew milk blended with saffron petals. “Many have misconceptions when it comes to food. One of the challenges is to ensure that the right fruit is used for the right base.

A watermelon shake can be blended only with millet milk because of its watery nature, while a considerably pulpy fruit can be paired with almond or cashew. People asked if we were vegan but it just happened by chance,” he said. The bottles are available in 300 ml. More options of 200, 500, and 1,000 will be introduced.

Keep calm and sip on

The consistency of milk varies depending on the base used. Cashew is said to have the strongest flavour and thickness. Almond is relatively thinner, and so is millet. Palm sugar is used as a sweetening agent, and only seasonal fruits are used. “Mangoes and cocoa are sourced from Coimbatore, strawberries from Ooty, and pink guava from my garden.

We’ve played on interesting combinations like coconut milk, yellow pumpkin, turmeric, red banana and dates. The smoothie is called Golden Milk. Another one is with sweet potato. Fresh batches are prepared every day as per demand. We make 20-30 on weekdays and 60 on weekends. We’re glad that the flavours have appealed to all age groups, garnering us customers who come again,” said Nishanth, who has a team of eight members. 

The smoothies are prepared at their cloud kitchen in Mogappair. They are prepared at room temperature and stored in ice conditions without adding ice cubes and preservatives. This limits the shelf life to three days. “All the raw materials are expensive and locally sourced. People find it to be exorbitantly priced but we had to cut down on many aspects and come with affordable pricing. However, customers are aware of the dairy-free trend and the amount of effort that goes into making the product. Everything is made in-house. It’s a testing process daily. We will bring solid food and seasonal options soon. Our home delivery and web app will is down the line. Customers can directly place their order and share feedback,” he said.

The G Tap says

 Cashews are said to be the best tasting plant protein. They have mono-saturated fat that helps decrease bad cholesterol.
 Millets are good for weight loss and fight against obesity. It prevents diabetes, reduces blood sugar level, improves sleep and relieves menstrual cramps.
 Almond is brain food. It prevents cognitive decline, boosts alertness and improves memory power.

Priced from `99. For details, visit their Instagram page at Gesundagrolife. The G Tap is located at Kora Food Street, Anna Nagar.

By Vaishali Vijaykumar

Express News Service

Source: The New Indian Express

[Gambia] Investigating Officer testifies in over D1M cashew case

May 29, 2019

Gambia cashews - Images by India Mart

Alagie A. K. Manga, an Investigating Police Officer, on the 27th May, 2019, testified before Magistrate Joof of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court in the case involving one Pa Modou Kah.

Led by the prosecuting officer, ASP Manga, the witness, Alagie A. K. Manga, told the court that he is attached at the Serious Crime Unit of the police in Banjul. He stated that on the morning of 29th April, 2019, one Mr. Serge, a complainant, reported at their office and said that the accused, Pa Modou Kah, told him that he had twelve-and-a-half tones of cashew nuts for sale to the tune of D1, 150,000.

The witness further adduced that Mr. Serge said that he sent one of his employees, Wally Sowe, to take the sum of D1, 150,000 to the accused for the purchase of the cashew nuts. Mr. Manga went on to say that according to Mr. Serge, they were surprised that there were no cashew nuts for sale by the accused.

He revealed that he ordered one Demba Mbye, who was working under him, to record the voluntary and cautionary statements of the complainant. He told the court that he made an investigation after which he prepared a comprehensive report.

ASP Manga asked him how he would identify the report, and he said that he would be able to identify it by his signature. ASP Manga handed him the report to go through, which he did and confirmed that he prepared it.

At this juncture, ASP Manga applied to tender the said report. It was then shown to the accused and asked whether he had any objection to the tendering of the report. He told the court that he had nothing to say, noting that he hired the services of a lawyer who asked him to plead with the court to adjourn the case because he was busy.

ASP Manga responded that he believed that the lawyer should have written to the court and register his constraint. He went on to say that even if the lawyer were available, the document sought to be tendered would be admitted. He adduced that it was tendered through the maker.

But Magistrate Joof did not concur with him and stated that the lawyer of the accused should be given the opportunity to go through the document before it was admitted. He said that admitting the document in the absence of the lawyer might lead to an appeal. The document is in custody of the court awaiting the appearance of the lawyer.

At this juncture, the accused applied to the court to review his bail condition. ASP Manga argued that the court could not review its own bail condition, citing the constitution to support his argument.

The presiding magistrate ruled in favour of the accused and reviewed the bail condition and ordered that he produce two male Gambian sureties who should deposit their travelling documents to the registrar of the court.

The witness, Alagie A. K. Manga, is expected to reappear in court on the 4th June, 2019, for continuation of the case.  

Author: Dawda Faye

Source: The Point Gambia