The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), Hon. Andy O. Okrah, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to making tree crop development a major contributor to Ghana’s economic growth and improving the livelihoods of farmers across the country.
He said the government, under President John Dramani Mahama, was determined to strengthen the tree crops sector, provide the necessary support to farmers and establish mechanisms that would make the cultivation of tree crops as lucrative and sustainable as cocoa production.
Hon. Andy O. Okrah made the statement at Mampong in the Ashanti Region today during the official launch and handing over ceremony of agricultural inputs to tree crop farmers.
The programme formed part of efforts by the TCDA and the government to increase productivity, improve farmers’ welfare and promote the development of Ghana’s tree crop industry.
According to the TCDA CEO, although the Authority had been in existence for six years, many Ghanaians were still not adequately aware of its mandate and the enormous economic potential of tree crops.
He explained that tree crops such as cashew, coconut, oil palm, mango, shea and rubber had the potential to generate substantial income for farmers and contribute significantly to the national economy if properly developed.
He said the TCDA was responsible for regulating and developing the tree crops sector, stressing that because the crops were important cash crops, the Authority played a critical role in ensuring that the sector was properly organised and regulated.
Government support.
Hon. Okrah said the government was prepared to provide farmers with the necessary incentives and inputs to enable them to increase production and make tree crop farming more attractive.
He said the purpose of the Mampong programme was, among other things, to inform farmers and stakeholders about the incentives and support being rolled out by the government as part of its broader tree crop development agenda.
He noted that the government’s commitment went beyond the distribution of inputs, adding that the welfare of farmers remained an important component of the programme.
“The immediate priority is to improve productivity in the country. Inputs alone cannot transform the sector,” he said.
He therefore urged farmers to make proper use of the inputs being provided to achieve the intended objective of increasing productivity and improving their incomes.
The items distributed included knapsack sprayers, Wellington boots, tricycles, cutlasses, gloves and seedlings of various tree crops, including mango, oil palm, cashew and coconut.
100,000 hectares of oil palm.
The TCDA CEO further disclosed that President Mahama had committed to an ambitious programme to cultivate 100,000 hectares of oil palm between now and 2032.
He described the initiative as a major step towards expanding Ghana’s oil palm industry, creating jobs and improving the incomes of farmers and other actors along the value chain.
He, however, appealed to chiefs and traditional authorities to make suitable lands available for the implementation of tree crop projects in various districts.
He said access to land remained crucial to the success of the programme and called for collaboration between traditional authorities, farmers, local government authorities and other stakeholders.
Mampong as tree crop hub.
Hon. Okrah said the decision to select Mampong as a hub for the programme was appropriate because of the diversity of tree crops cultivated in the area.
He noted that the six major tree crops under the programme — cashew, coconut, oil palm, mango, shea and rubber — were being cultivated in the broader area, making Mampong strategically positioned to serve as a centre for promoting tree crop development.
He said the government’s objective was to create a vibrant and productive tree crop sector that would benefit farmers, processors, traders and other participants along the value chain.
Call for stakeholder support.
The TCDA CEO called on traditional authorities, district assemblies, farmers’ organisations and other stakeholders to support the government’s tree crop agenda.
He said the success of the programme would depend on collective efforts to provide land, improve farming practices, increase productivity and ensure that the inputs and other resources provided to farmers were used for their intended purposes.
Hon. Okrah also urged farmers to see tree crop farming as a serious commercial venture capable of providing sustainable livelihoods rather than merely a subsistence activity.
He said with the right investment, regulation, technical support and commitment from farmers and stakeholders, Ghana could build a competitive tree crop industry capable of generating significant economic returns.
The launch and distribution of the agricultural inputs therefore marked another step in the government’s efforts to reposition tree crop farming as a major pillar of Ghana’s agricultural transformation agenda.
The TCDA, he said, would continue to work with farmers and stakeholders to regulate, promote and develop the sector while ensuring that the benefits of tree crop production translated into improved livelihoods for farmers and sustainable economic development for the country.
