The Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) has launched a nationwide distribution of agricultural inputs to tree crop farmers, with a call for farmers to adopt improved and climate-smart farming practices to boost productivity and incomes. The initiative was launched at Mampong in the Ashanti Region, as part of efforts to address challenges confronting Ghana's tree crops sector.
Essential Inputs for Tree Crop Farmers
The TCDA has distributed a range of essential inputs, including spraying machines, insecticides, tricycles, motorbikes, raincoats, long gloves, and Wellington boots. These inputs are intended to address practical challenges faced by farmers, including limited access to seedlings and basic farm equipment. The CEO of the TCDA, Dr. Andy Okrah, said the inputs will help farmers improve their productivity and incomes.
The Authority regulates and promotes Ghana's six strategic tree crops: cashew, coconut, oil palm, rubber, mango, and shea, collectively known as CCORMS. The sector supports approximately 1.6 million households and contributes significantly to rural employment, incomes, agro-industrial development, and export earnings.
Women in the Shea Sector
The distribution of long gloves and Wellington boots has been hailed as a potential game-changer for women farmers in the shea sector. The President of the Ghana Shea Association, Rabiatu Abukari, said the provision of these inputs will help protect women farmers from snake bites. She also called for government intervention on high bank interest rates, which she said are driving businesses out of the industry.
Dr. Abukari further appealed to the government to limit the export of shea nuts and increase the price paid to local farmers. She suggested that more of the crop should be retained for domestic processing, citing the potential for shortages in the country if everything is exported. "If everything is exported, at the end of the day, there will be shortages in the country, and honestly there'll be no shea to undergo the 24-hour economy project, especially because shea is a seasonal crop," she cautioned.
Government Support for Tree Crops
The government has tasked the Ministry of Finance to develop a US$500 million financing mechanism to establish 100,000 new oil palm plantations by 2032. The Mampong Municipal Chief Executive, Yakubu Issifu, said the distribution is ongoing across districts in all regions and that beneficiaries will be monitored to ensure the inputs are used for their intended purposes.
Dr. Issifu also urged young people to consider agriculture as a viable and lucrative career. "Government officials can be fired, but a farmer can never get fired. Farming is a very reliable source of income," he said. The National Cashew President, Dr. Moses Kyere Nyansaye, welcomed the government's support and called for the provision of boreholes in farming communities to help farmers cope with unreliable rainfall, particularly in remote areas.
Building a More Productive Tree Crops Industry
The TCDA's broader goal is to build a tree crops sector that is productive, resilient, competitive, and inclusive, while creating more jobs, increasing farmer incomes, and retaining greater value within Ghana's economy. The Authority believes the 2026 intervention marks not just the beginning of another planting season, but a push to turn Ghana's tree crops from raw commodities into a stronger engine for jobs, industry, and rural prosperity.
The TCDA's CEO, Dr. Andy Okrah, said the intervention goes beyond the distribution of farm inputs, describing it as a renewed commitment to building a more productive, resilient, and competitive tree crops industry. "We must develop competitive value chains that move from production at the farm level to processing, manufacturing, branding, and access to higher-value markets," he said.
The tree crops sector is a significant contributor to Ghana's economy, supporting approximately 1.6 million households and contributing to rural employment, incomes, agro-industrial development, and export earnings. With the TCDA's intervention, the sector is poised to become an even more important driver of economic growth and development in the country.
Source: JOY
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