ACCRA, September 28 -- Ghana earned $404 million from non-traditional exports last year. The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. John Dan Abodakpi, who made this known at Sunyani on Tuesday, said about 70 percent of the total exports were value added. Mr. Abodakpi, who was addressing staff under his ministry as part of his two-day working visit to the Brong Ahafo said Ghana has programmed to earn about $16 billion from non-traditional export by the year 2020.

The tour was part of the ministry’s outreach programme to give the right advice and direction to the private sector to boost production. The minister said, for example, that earnings from cashew, which stood at $100,000 in 1994, hit about $2 million last year.

He noted that Ghana can no more continue to rely on its traditional exports for survival and as such all efforts must be made to promote the development of non-traditional exports to enable the county achieve the needed development.

Mr. Abodakpi said there is great potential for Ghana to export gari in large quantities. He called on Ghanaians to support government programmes. Mr. Abodakpi said the Brong Ahafo Region abounds in a lot of resources, which must be tapped for the benefit of the people and the nation.

He advised agencies under the ministry to reach out to the people in order to come out with the right responses to their problems. The regional Minister, Mr. Donald Adabre, urged beneficiaries of credit schemes being operated by the National Board for Small Scale Industries to pay back in order to sustain the operation of the scheme.

Mr. Abodakpi also visited the Anso Bomosadu Timbers and Sawmill Limited (ABTA) at Berekum, the Tanoso Clay Products and the Sunyani Intermediate Technology Transfer Unit (ITTU).