President Akufo-Addo
PRESIDENT OF the Coconut Federation of Ghana (CoCoFeG), Patrick Arlloo Abiah, has praised President Akufo-Addo for his commitment and contribution to the advancement of the coconut industry.
He said the federation had enjoyed massive support under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo following the launch of the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) programme.
PERD is a collaborative implementation initiative between the Ministry for Food and Agriculture; and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development that seeks to diversify the Ghanaian economy from cocoa dependency to a more wider export portfolio with an aim to generate at least two billion dollars from each of the seven commodities under the programme namely coconut, cashew, coffee, oil palm, mango, shea and rubber.
At a press conference held Friday, in Accra, Abiah enumerated some remarkable achievements his outfit had chalked under the PERD programme, some of which included the successful formalization of the Ghanaian coconut industry following the birth of the federation and the passing of the National Tree Crop Development Authority (NTCDA) bill by Parliament in December, last year.
He recounted that the coconut industry struggled over the years to gain recognition and support from policymakers due to neglect in the wake of high incidence of large coconut farms being wiped off by the Cape St. Paul’s Wilt (CSPW) disease, weak marketing and pricing regimes, poor access to farm inputs and the lack of support for the production of certified planting and marketing materials.
“Coconut actors in Ghana were left to their fate, struggling through activities with no support system, thereby becoming vulnerable to other patrons of coconut produce, products and its derivatives,” he narrated, adding that many farmers have abandoned their farms while others have diversified from coconut, making coconut-dependent businesses to struggle to survive the market.
However, “the Coconut Federation experienced the greatest joy when finally President Akufo-Addo launched the PERD programme,” he added.
He also made special mention of key individuals whose efforts and contributions have inured to the overall success of the federation including the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto; Hajia Halima Mahama, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development and Dr. Yaw Adu-Ampomah, Coordinator of the PERD Technical Advisory Committee, among several others.
Abiah assured that with the strong collaboration between the federation and other key stakeholders, the Ghanaian coconut industry would become the fastest growing industry to achieve the two-billion-dollar annual target within the shortest possible time.
By Asieduwaa Mary