Ghana has announced plans to become a net exporter of the palm oil within 10 years
The revelation was made at a press conference in Accra last week to announce the launch of the Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG), which hopes to assist the country in achieving its production potential.
OPDAG president Samuel Avaala told journalists that the organisation’s goal was to “double our output in the next 10 to 25 years to become self-sufficient in palm oil and save foreign exchange which otherwise goes into its importation.”
Ghana is currently a net importer of palm oil, but Avaala said the association ultimately aimed to make the product one of the West African country’s biggest exports, second only to cocoa.
“As an association, we have come to believe that we cannot sit and look up to the government and its ministries and agencies alone to get us out of this situation,” Avaala continued. “We as actors in the industry have a part to play to collaborate with the government and all stakeholders to make Ghana a net exporter.”
OPDAG, which is made up of actors from throughout the palm oil value chain, aims to tackle a number of central problems which are seen to be holding the industry back, including hindrances to land acquisition, inadequate funding and limited credit facilities.
