Non-wood forest products - country information
Plants and plant products
Food
Hundreds of edible plant species are consumed in Ghana as supplement to
staple foods and during seasonal food shortages. Regarding the different plant
parts used, documentation exists on the utilization of 62 edible wild fruit
species, 100 species used for their leaves and 19 species used for their roots
(FAO, 1990). Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is probably the most widely
exploited forest species in West Africa. Fruits and kernels are used as edible
oil, while the sap is consumed as wine and alcohol. These palm products account
for 10 percent of the total energy consumed in West African diets and are an
important source of vitamin A (FAO, 1990).
Nuts derived from Vitellaria paradoxa and Cola spp. are
among the most important edible NWFP in Ghana.
Ghana is one of the major producing countries of sheabutter/sheanuts (Vitellaria paradoxa). Traditionally, sheanuts are used as medicine as well as in foods; the pulp is eaten fresh; and the butter, extracted from the seeds, is used for frying and sauces. In Europe, North America and Asia, sheabutter is almost entirely used in the food industry (e.g. chocolate, candies, margarine) (FAO,1993). In 1996 Ghana produced 55 000 t of sheanuts, of which 19 654 t (35% of the production) were exported corresponding to a value of US$ 5.8 million (FAO Statistics, 1998).
Another important edible nut is cola, derived from Cola nitidia and C.
acuminata growing in the moist forests of southern Ghana. C. acuminata
is mainly used for self-consumption. C. nitidia is heavily traded: on the
one hand to northern Ghana, on the other hand to Nigeria, which is the major
export market for Ghanaian cola nuts (FAO, 1990).
The cultivation of mushrooms was started on a large scale both for local
consumption and for export (Forestry Department, 1991).
Fodder
Medicines
In West Africa, 75-90 percent of the population relies on traditional medical treatments. In Ghana, 3 360 traditional healers were registered officially in 1978 (FAO,1990). In the Kwahu district the ratio of traditional healers to total population is 1:224 in comparison with a medical doctors to total population ratio of 1:20 625 (Cunningham,1993).
A large variety of medicinal plants is used both by the population and by traditional healers. Medicinal plants are collected in and outside the forests. In the Ho district, approximately 75 percent of the fallow field trees have medicinal uses (FAO, 1990).
The most widely used medicinal plants are probably chewsticks. Since toothpaste consumption is still low, chewing sticks provide dental health care for most of the population. Six species (e.g. Garcinia afzelii, G. epundata) account for 86 percent of total usage in southern Ghana and the majority of commercial sales. The majority of consumers depend on purchased material rather than on personal collection. The impact on the source species which are commercially sold and cut down (harvesting of stem wood) or uprooted (root material) to supply urban demand is high (Cunningham, 1993).
Another medicinal plant which is exploited commercially is Griffonia simplicifolia, for which a damage assessment is recommended (Cunningham, 1997).
Exudates
Since the 1970s natural and planted Acacia spp. stands are exploited in the savannah zone in northern Ghana. Only small quantities are collected on a research level. Most of the gum, which exudes naturally, is exploited from Acacia polyacanthe (Chikamai, 1997; Nour, 1995). Large-scale plantations of Acacia senegal and A. seyal were established for the production of gum arabic (Forest Department, 1991).
Perfume and cosmetics
Dying and tanning
Tannins (Acacia nilotica) and dyes are produced for the leather and cloth industries. The Ministry recommends the establishment of new plantations in order to satisfy the supply to the leather industry (Forestry Department, 1991).