Bunyanso Farms has marked a major milestone, celebrating three decades of impactful contribution to the growth and transformation of the cashew sector in the West Gonja Municipal of the Savannah Region.
Established in 1996, Bunyanso Farms has played a pioneering role in structuring cashew production, aggregation, trading, and local value addition, while serving as a powerful vehicle for poverty reduction and economic empowerment in cashew-producing communities across the region.
The success story of the company is closely linked to the vision of its Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sumani Iddrisu, popularly known as Azambuja. His long-held dream of building a sustainable cashew industry—anchored in fruitfulness, prosperity, and long-term economic growth—has significantly shaped the sector over the past 30 years.
Mr. Iddrisu also serves as Chairman of the Cashew Traders and Exporters Association of Ghana (West Gonja Branch), the Association of Cashew Processors of Ghana (West Gonja Branch), and the West Gonja District Co-operative Cashew Farmers and Marketing Union Ltd. The Union is a registered member of the Ghana Co-operative Cashew Farmers and Marketing Association Ltd in the Savannah Region, providing a strong institutional framework for farmers, traders, and processors.
Industry observers note that the establishment of Bunyanso Farms coincided with a surge in global demand for cashew, creating opportunities for small and medium-scale enterprises. Through strategic site selection, the use of high-yielding planting materials, and the adoption of sound agronomic practices, the company has demonstrated that cashew farming can be both profitable and sustainable.
Mr. Iddrisu’s contributions have earned him repeated recognition from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA). He was named Best Cashew Farmer in 1996 during the Farmers’ Day celebrations in the then West Gonja District of the Northern Region. In 2024, he received the Municipal Best Cashew Farmer award in the Savannah Region, followed by the Regional Best Cashew Farmer award in 2025.
MoFA explained that the awards highlight cashew’s importance as a leading non-traditional export crop, its role in foreign exchange earnings, employment generation, and poverty reduction. They also encourage value addition, modern farming practices, and youth participation in agriculture, in line with national initiatives such as the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA).
Beyond farming, Mr. Iddrisu has provided leadership across the cashew value chain for nearly three decades. He began in 1996 as Secretary of the Damawu Cashew Farmers Association, later served as Manager of the West Gonja District Co-operative Cashew Farmers and Marketing Union Ltd in 2005, and became its Union President in 2025. He is currently spearheading efforts to enroll more farmers into the national cooperative system.
He also made history in 1997 as the first raw cashew nuts aggregator in West Gonja and has since championed local processing. Trained under the Cashew Development Project and TreeAid UK-supported initiatives, he has worked to facilitate the establishment of cashew processing factories in the municipality.
In addition, Mr. Iddrisu has contributed to environmental sustainability and youth skills development. He became the first pioneer to be registered as a Beekeeper Apprentices Master Skilled Craft Person under the Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA), Mastercard Foundation, and Young Africa Works initiative. Through this program, he has trained apprentices aged 15 to 35 years in integrating beekeeping with cashew plantations, beekeeping management, and honey harvesting.
The training aims to strengthen the capacity of farmers, beekeepers, and apprentices to transfer skills to others, while supporting local craftsmanship for the production of beekeeping equipment and tools to be distributed to cashew farmers and beekeepers in the West Gonja Municipal.
As Bunyanso Farms celebrates 30 years of existence, stakeholders say its journey stands as a testament to how vision, leadership, and commitment can transform agriculture into a powerful engine for regional development and national economic growth
Source: Padfm.com.gh/Kumatey Gorden/0243531604
