The Tree Crops Policy will provide guidelines and a holistic approach for the sustainable development of the tree-crops sub-sector, and allow for proper targetting of support to the value-chain.
“In view of the tremendous potential of the sub-sector to generate employment, contribute to poverty alleviation, foreign exchange earnings, food security and growth of GDP, the tree-crops subsector must benefit from technical, financial and institutional support,” he said.
Recent developments in the tree-crops sub-sector, significant increases in prices on the world market for some crops as well as improvement of the environment for private-sector participation, justify the development of an overall framework for the effective implementation of activities, coordination and monitoring of the sub-sector, he added.
The strategic policy document is being developed mainly based on the Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy, which was fashioned in 2008 through an intensive stakeholder consultation process.
It is also aligned with the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda, the country’s medium-term development policy framework.
The policy is dependent on components like environmental protection, private-sector development, land tenure issues and access to finance, and it has strongly integrated the various sub-sector policies being implemented, like the irrigation and extension policies, as well as the plants and fertilizer laws.
The tree-crops sub-sector in the country consists of several tree-crops; however, the policy document has been developed with particular focus on cashew, citrus, cocoa, coconut, coffee, dawadawa, kola, mango, oil-palm, rubber and shea nut.
Presently, over 1.6 million farm families are engaged in the cultivation of tree-crops, with the vast majority of them being small-scale farmers.
The sub-sector provides a ready source of income for farmers and numerous job opportunities, thereby enhancing the livelihoods of a great number of farm families. It also contributes significantly to food security as well as the macro-economic stability of the country.
Mr. Ahwoi, launching the national policy document in Accra, said: “Government is responsible for providing policy direction for the development of the agricultural sector. The Tree Crops Policy provides guidelines for the sub-sector’s development while identifying the activities and areas to which technical and financial resources should be directed.
“The government’s vision for the development of tree crops is holistic and aims at promoting the sustainable growth of the entire sub-sector, taking into account all the differences between the crops and the various production areas.”
He added: “The policy reaffirms the central role of the tree-crops sub-sector in the development of the country’s agriculture. It will as well provide orientation and guidelines for strategic actions and clearly defines the vision, objectives and strategies to support the development of the sub-sector.”
The policy document is the first of a set of tools developed by government to support the sub-sector and is based on an analysis of the key role played by tree-crops in the country’s economy.
Mr. Ahwoi observed that the country has a number of comparative advantages in the production of a large number of tree-crops -- including political stability, geographical location and access to large regional and European markets, adequate sea ports, and a good agricultural environment suitable for the cultivation of different tree-crops.
“Despite these positive attributes, most of the tree-crops in the country are still largely under-developed in terms of their potential production levels and the organisation of their value-chain as compared to the cocoa value-chain,” Mr. Ahwoi remarked.
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