The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and Africa Coconut Group have announced plans to expand the coconut sector and turn it into an important and dependable source of income at the start of the 2022 International Coconut Festival in Ellembele, in the Western Region.
Afua Asabea Asare, CEO of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, gave the opening remarks at the event and revealed plans of the government to give sufficient support for investors to establish coconut processing facilities under the One District, One Factory initiative.
“GEPA has made modest but quite significant investments in the sector since 2017, by procuring and distributing disease-tolerant coconut seedlings to coconut farmers across the major coconut farming regions in the country. So far, we have distributed close to 700,000 seedlings covering some 11,200 acres. We are not relenting in our efforts until we get to the point where the industry is mature and can be on its own.
“We equally recognise the fact that the Ministries of Food and Agriculture and Local Government and Rural Development have also invested significantly in the sector through the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) Programme. Of course, we are not oblivious of the central role that the African Coconut Group, led by Mr. Davies Korboe and his able colleagues, has played in advocating strongly for development of the sector to boost export revenues,” she said.
Davis Korboe, Chairman of the African Coconut Group, provided details about activities lined up for the festival’s second edition.
“The event will be characterised by exhibitions of high and low-level technologies in the coconut industry, business seminars, financial support platforms, networking, talks, field visits, senior high and university level competitions, colloquiums and others,” he said.