By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) says it is committed to supporting President John Dramani Mahama’s vision of making Ghana self-sufficient in palm oil, popularly described as the “Red Gold”.
Chief Executive Officer of TCDA, Dr Andy Osei Okrah, said the Authority would combine stronger regulation, plantation expansion and value-chain development to close the gap between domestic production and consumption.
He was speaking at the first National Oil Palm Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable Forum in Accra, held on the theme, “From Policy to Practice: The Role of TCDA in Resetting Ghana’s Oil Palm Industry.”
The forum brought together policymakers, researchers, financial institutions, development partners and agribusiness actors to develop strategies for transforming the oil palm sector.
Dr Okrah said palm oil was one of the world’s most important vegetable oils and a critical raw material for food processing, cosmetics, soap manufacturing, biofuels and other downstream industries.
He noted that despite the strategic importance of the crop, Ghana’s share of global palm oil production remained relatively low compared with leading producers such as Indonesia and Malaysia.
To bridge the production gap, Government has targeted the establishment of 100,000 hectares of new oil palm plantations to supplement the existing estimated 360,000 hectares under cultivation.
Dr Okrah said the expansion would be accompanied by efforts to formalise production and strengthen regulation of the industry under the new national policy.
He explained that TCDA had been designated as a key regulatory institution responsible for licensing, production planning and industry data management.
The Authority, he said, is focused on expanding plantations, creating sustainable employment, reducing Ghana’s reliance on imported edible oils and positioning the country as a competitive player in the global palm oil market.
Dr Okrah said TCDA’s mandate went beyond regulation to the development of the entire oil palm value chain.
He said the Authority would enforce licensing requirements, quality standards and industry compliance while promoting fair trading and transparent practices among actors.
He also described TCDA as an active enabler of the sector, saying the Authority would coordinate planting programmes, facilitate access to certified seeds and seedlings, build the capacity of industry actors and create opportunities for sustainable investment and market access.
Dr Okrah said the combination of improved regulation, capacity development and plantation expansion would be critical to achieving Ghana’s palm oil self-sufficiency ambitions.
He called on farmers, investors, processors, financial institutions, development partners and the general public to support the national agenda to increase domestic palm oil production.
He said closing the production gap would help reduce oil palm and vegetable oil imports, retain foreign exchange within the economy and create employment opportunities, particularly for the youth.
The TCDA CEO said the Authority remained committed to working with Government and private-sector actors to transform Ghana’s oil palm industry from a largely fragmented value chain into a more productive, regulated and competitive sector.
