Shea Butter A Guide to Production and Marketing - AGOA Export ...

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Peace Corps Ghana Version 1, March 2008 Processing Equipment & Machinery Once you have assessed your capacity, you should be able to make some decisions about the needs of the group in order to serve the market you are targeting. You may consider acquiring machinery in some cases to speed up the processing, for example. Machines are expensive, but so are milling charges in many producing areas, especially smaller villages where people don’t produce commercially and competition is little. You may want to do a cost/benefit analysis based on the quantity your buyers are requesting and the price they are offering. Each situation is unique. Machinery may be beneficial, or it could be an added burden to the group. Cooperative Registration Another thing to consider for your group/groups is cooperative registration. Acquiring the status as a legitimate cooperative offers many benefits. For instance, coop status qualifies you to receive check ups, monitoring and trainings from the Cooperative Office in your district. Every district should have a District of Cooperatives Officer who you can contact and learn about the necessary procedures to apply for coop status. They can visit and interact with the groups and walk them through the steps required for registration. Once registered, The District Cooperative Officer will come periodically or upon request to share new information and opportunities with the group. They can provide information regarding new loan programs or other forms of support that the coop may qualify for. Being listed under the Cooperative Department allows district officers to more easily identify viable communities in the district and extend the benefits that come their way. Cooperative registration can also increase the marketability of the group. Several bigger buyers require or prefer to work with coops, as it denotes a higher level of organization within the group, creditability and accountability. Coops are a legal entity of their own. Groups that register as coops also enjoy access to more forms of support. If you want to apply for a loan to acquire processing machinery or some working capital, this title will pave your way. There are some requirements to gain cooperative status. The group has to prove their creditability by demonstrating solid organization and management skills within their circle. That requires strong leadership and elected roles, an active bank account (at a Rural Bank is fine), proof of record keeping from their meetings, histories including minutes and collected dues, and a registration fee. This fee is a one time up front fee of 5 new Ghana Cedis (2007) paid to the district office. It puts you in the system and lines you up for all the perks listed above. In my personal experience, the cooperative officer in my district has been extremely helpful and responsive to our needs. Many times, very few of the women you work with are educated or literate. Developing the necessary management skills is a challenge in such cases, but organizing training on recordkeeping, financial planning, and small business management will benefit the group greatly in the long run. Start with inquiring at your local district assembly on current programs for these trainings. They often have funding for such things and links to other local organizations who work directly with Page 14 of 28
Peace Corps Ghana Version 1, March 2008 building groups organizational capacity. I have found NBSSI (National Board for Small Scale Industries), SNV (a Dutch NGO), Technoserve and World Vision, among others, to be very active players involved with group development. Page 15 of 28
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