Coconut farmers appeal for more support

Coconut Farmers Association, Ghana (COFAG), has appealed to the government to pay more attention to the sector to make coconut a major export earner for the country.

The association said there was the need for the government to show commitment by building the capacity of farmers in coconut cultivation and also provide them with organic fertilisers and adequate hybrid coconut seedlings annually to boost production.

According to the association, such measures would help coconut exports from the country to gain competitive advantage on the international market to rake in more foreign exchange.

The president of the association, Mr Patrick Ndabiah, made the appeal at a day’s validation workshop in Accra last Thursday.

Mr Ndabiah said even though the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) was supporting coconut farmers with seedlings under a coconut revitalisation project, “it was not enough”.

“This is because the coconut seedlings they are supplying is just a small per cent of the 500,000 -800,000 seedlings we require annually to boost production,” he said.

Validation workshop

Participants included regional executive of COFAG who validated two documents needed to regulate activities of the coconut industry.

They also reviewed the association’s constitution and policy framework to ensure coconut production was in line with current national development framework and emerging issues in the agricultural sector.

The policy will also provide a framework to address challenges in the industry for stable coconut production for a sustainable social and economic development of the sector within the national agriculture policy framework.

The participants are expected to sensitise other members of the association to the two documents at their various communities.

Certification

Mr Ndabiah said the provision of certification for agricultural products, including coconut for the international market, had become indispensable, if farmers were to gain competitive advantage.

“If coconut farmers in Ghana do not have certification, it will be very difficult for their produce to compete in the external market because other countries have certificates that we do not have.

“We are, therefore, entreating the government to provide the required capacity building in certification so that we can produce and compete on the international market,” he said.

The president further urged other farmers to embrace the cultivation of coconut to help them earn decent incomes and also create employment for the youth in their respective communities.

“From the roots to the leaves, coconut is beneficial; it is a valuable crop that is worthy of investing money in,” he added.

Appreciation

The second vice-president of the Coconut Federation of Ghana, Mr Kwaku Boateng, commended GEPA for supplying 400,000 coconut seedlings to members of COFA since 2020.

“It is, however, important that we impress on the government not to relent in giving us more support in terms of seedlings and training,” he said.