The government will on November 14 launch in Accra the Ghana Tree Crop Diversification Project (TCDP) to reshape the country’s agricultural sector and foster sustainable economic growth.
The $ 227.5 million project being funded in partnership with the World Bank is expected to benefit over 52,775 farmers, with a specific focus on empowering women and youth within the agricultural sector.
The project is expected to generate approximately 20,000 jobs aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of local communities.
A statement issued in Accra from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) copied The Ghanaian Times, acknowledged the tree crop sector’s vast potential for driving economic progress, adding that the government through the projects aims to confront key challenges that compromise productivity and sustainability in the production of cocoa, cashew, coconut, and rubber.
Similarly, it would also address critical issues such as child labour and gender inequality within the industry.
“The TCDP proposes a two-pronged approach focusing on both cocoa and other strategic tree crops to enhance productivity, improve market access, and bolster the competitiveness of the private sector,” the statement added.
The four primary components of the project are towards Institutional Strengthening and Value Chain Governance, Enhancing Tree Crop Productivity and Climate Resilience, Support for Post-Harvest Management, Value Addition, and Market Access, Project Coordination, Management, Monitoring, and Evaluation.
The project is also meant to achieve significant outcomes, such as increased yields and value addition for target tree crops, improved climate adaptation strategies, and substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
The TCDP will be rolled out in 11 districts across six regions of Ghana, carefully chosen for their potential to maximise impact.
The targeted areas include cocoa in the Western North’s Essam and Adabokrom, and Asamankese in the Eastern Region; cashew in Bole and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba in the Savana Region, Wenchi and Tain in the Bono Region, and Techiman Municipal and Techiman North in the Bono East Region with coconut in the Upper West Akim and Suhum in the Eastern Region, and rubber in Upper West.
BY TIMES REPORTER
