New initiative to scale up coconut export revenue launched
The government has launched an initiative to scale up coconut cultivation and exports, projecting annual foreign exchange earnings of more than $18 million.
The Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness (PIAA), which will oversee the cultivation, has consequently launched a national portal for people to register and be part of the Coconut Seedling Distribution Initiative, meant to supply three million elite seedlings to farmers across the country.
The new PIAA registration portal, www.piaa.gov.gh, allows farmers, cooperatives and young agripreneurs to sign up for free coconut seedlings.
Applicants provide basic details—name, contact, farm location and acreage—via phone or computer. Submissions are instantly recorded for swift verification, ensuring transparent, fair and traceable distribution of three million seedlings nationwide.
The programme, funded by the Ghana Exim Bank and implemented in partnership with the Coconut Federation of Ghana (CocoFeG), aims to expand the country’s coconut farmland from 90,000 to 110,000 hectares initially and to 150,000 hectares in the medium term.
Significance
The Director of PIAA, Dr Peter Boamah Otokunor, who launched the initiative in Accra on September 15, said the expanded cultivation was expected to raise national production from 600,000 tonnes to 720,000 tonnes annually.
He said that was expected to create over 20,000 direct and indirect jobs and boost export revenue by 60 per cent from $11.4 million in 2021 to more than $18.1 million each year.
“In 2024, the global export value of coconuts hit 22.43 billion U.S. dollars, growing at an impressive 13 per cent per annum and estimated to hit 38.58 billion by 2030,” he stated.
He highlighted the country’s strong performance in the global coconut market, emphasising that the country was now Africa’s leading producer and the 12th largest globally, exporting over 41 million kilogrammes of coconuts in 2021 and ranking ninth worldwide for desiccated coconut exports by 2022.
Dr Otokunor, therefore, stated that the online portal was designed for quick, transparent farmer registration, while regional Coconut Federation offices would assist applicants without internet access or facing other challenges.
The initiative, he stressed, formed part of the government’s Feed the Industry strategy to diversify exports, drive agro-industrialisation and create sustainable rural livelihoods.
“As President John Dramani Manama has always emphasised, agriculture is not just about food; it is about the future. It is about industrialisation, about value addition, about foreign exchange, and about dignity for our farmers - we are operationalising this vision,” he said.
He also revealed that plans were underway to establish the African Coconut Board (AFRICOCOBOD), to be headquartered in Accra, to promote continental collaboration.
Ready market, monitoring
The President of the Federation of Association of Ghanaian Exporters (FAGE), Davis Korboe, revealed that all three million coconut seedlings under the government’s new initiative already have committed buyers.
He said two major off-takers from China and one from Spain had agreed to purchase the harvest when the trees matured in about four years.
Mr Korboe stressed that FAGE was discouraging the export of raw coconuts, insisting buyers add value locally to create jobs and earn premium prices.
The foreign firms, he said, were exploring partnerships with the Office of the President to support funding and ensure processing is done in the country before export.
The President COCOFEG, Patrick Ndabiah, said the federation was fully committed to supervising the government’s coconut seedling distribution to guarantee its success.
He explained that COCOFEG would establish monitoring teams in every region and district to ensure each seedling is properly planted, protected and maintained.
Mr Ndabiah added that the nationwide oversight would help realise the initiative’s goal of boosting production for industrialisation and transport, while creating pragmatic policies to guide farmers and processors across the value chain.
