GEPA CEO commends women in coconut farming, pledges gov't support for industry

The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Dr. Afua Asabea Asare, has assured members of the Coconut Farmers Association of Ghana (COFAG) of government's support for the industry as investor interest increases after Ghana hosted the first ever International Coconut Festival in 2019.

Speaking during the first coconut policy objective review conference in Accra, Dr. Asabea Asare, commended the leadership of COFAG for acknowledging the role of women in the business through the constitution of a working committee of Women in Coconut Farming which was inaugurated during the conference.

She encouraged members of the committee to stay committed to their mandate of representing and advocating for the welfare of female farmers in the coconut business.

Dr. Asabea Asare, said, GEPA, through its Youth in Export initiative, will train and resource more young people to venture into the coconut value chain to boost cultivation and export.

President of the Coconut Farmers Association of Ghana, Patrick Ndabiah, appealed to the government to speed up efforts to grant certification to coconut farmers to enable them compete globally.

He said, the government deserves commendation for the establishment of the National Tree Crops Development Authority (NTCDA) which is mandated to develop and regulate production, processing, marketing and export of coconut.

The 2020 COFAG policy objective conference focusing on the role of the coconut sector in the national development framework, was held under the theme "Reviving and sustaining the coconut industry in Ghana."