The Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG), a non-Governmental Association, has announced the opening of nomination for its National Executive Committee positions.
The National Executive Committee positions up for contest include: the President, the Vice President, the Public Relation Officer and the Financial Secretary.
A statement issued in Accra by the Acting Executive Secretary, OPDAG, Selorm Quame said the opening of nomination was part of a series of activities the Association has embarked on to inject dynamism into the Association.
The nomination opens from August 28 to September 5, 2019.
It said the eligible members were expected to cast their vote on September 12, 2019, during the National Oil Palm Stakeholders Forum 2019 for the positions outlined.
It said the OPDAG, is a body tasked with policy advocacy geared towards improving the overall oil palm sector.
The statement said among its duties were, advocating for easy access to agriculture land for plantation, reducing the cost of farming inputs; fostering, international competitiveness, conducting surveys and sector studies that reflected its members interests.
It said the Association also provided a unionized platform for its members to engage government on key issues and promote networking to grow the sector.
“We will like to invite all interested OPADG members to pick up forms from their regional offices or the national office for the upcoming OPADG elections,” it added.
It said “The Association is embarking on an exciting new era, guided by a Strategic Plan that will enable us to become the leading sector learned body within the Agriculture sector,” Selorm Quame said.
The statement said OPADG seeks to promote sustainable growth and development of the oil palm industry through strategic advocacy, best management practices, capacity building, provision of market information and policy change interventions to the industry.
It said the oil palm sector was developing extensively, yet average yields at oil palm plantations and smallholder farms were very low.
It said lagging behind major producing countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America, oil palm plantations and smallholder farmers in Ghana have limited experiences and knowledge in intensifying yields through improved agronomic practices, including fertilizer management.
The Association said availability of suitable land to cultivate oil palm was becoming increasingly scarce in Ghana and yield intensification on existing plantations and smallholder farms, through improved management practices, offered the best opportunities to increase production.
It said by understanding and identifying the causes behind low productivity, management practices that were most effective at improving productivity could be evaluated and adapted accordingly.
“It is our quest to increase the capacity, productivity and value addition in the oil palm sector, we are focusing on trade, export and exposing the key stakeholders in the sector to best management practices, technological breakthrough and the fast changing dynamics in the industry,” it added.
