The Ghana Standard Authority (GSA) has pledged its continuous collaboration with municipal/district chief executives (MDCEs) to calibrate the weighing scales of cashew buyers in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions to prevent cheating and ensure fairness in sales.
Mrs Xaviera Ulla Tawiah, the GSA Director in-charge of the three regions, gave the assurance at a sensitisation forum organised by the Authority for cashew farmers and dealers at Techiman in the Bono East Region.
Using a verified scale would bring about uniformity and fairness to enhance trade in the region and create enough trust for the Ghanaian cashew industry on the international market, she said.
Touching on the responsibilities of the GSA, Mrs Tawiah said the Authority was committed to ensuring the production of quality nuts, through monitoring and assessment, to promote fair trade and protect the good image of Ghana in the cashew trade.
Through supervision, the GSA would prevent adjustment of scales to promote peace between the farmers and buyers.
Dr Samuel Frimpong, the Middle belt Director of GSA, outlined some sanctions defaulters would face if found guilty of adjusting scales or preventing officers from verifying their scales.
The sanctions might include imprisonment and fines.
Mr Kwasi Adu-Gyan, the Bono East Regional Minister, commended the Authority for the proactiveness in promoting fair trade at the local level and projecting the image of the country, saying that would contribute to building the national economy.
He called for strengthening the regulation measures with tools and devices to assess and monitor buyers to prevent cheating the farmers and assured of the Regional Coordinating Council’s readiness to assist in that regard.
Mr Seth Agyei Fosu, a cashew farmer, urged farmers to get the appropriate scales to weigh their nuts to know the exact quantity for improved sales.
He appealed to the Government, through the Tree Crop Development Authority, to enact and implement laws to compel cashew farmers to dry their nuts well before selling.
Source: GNA