A Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Augustine Collins Ntim has revealed that government prioritises the revitalisation of the coffee sector in its scheme of things, and is, therefore, committed to supporting the sector to become profitable since it “holds a lot of promise”.

He is very hopeful that once deliberate concrete means are established and implemented to spare and commercialise the production of coffee, the sector will rake in more foreign exchange and Ghana would once again become the centre of attraction on the world market.

Role of the district assemblies

To this end, he said 14 district assemblies have been identified and validated for the production of coffee under the government’s flagship ‘Planting for Export and Rural Development’ (PERD) programme to ensure that rural communities benefited from this ambitious project.

Each of the districts, according to Mr Ntim, has been tasked to support not less than 5,000 farmers to develop a minimum of four hectares of the six selected PERD trees, including coffee.

“Going forward, all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are expected to move the nurseries to the community level to complete the decentralisation implementation programme. Through this, the PERD programme is expected to establish a minimum of 10,000 community nurseries countrywide”, he noted.

He added, “Key area to note is the effort the government is making to improve on the coffee production, value addition, exporting of beans by providing avenues for local processing and promoting local coffee consumption to increase the economic benefits of the coffee products.”

Mr Ntim, who is also the Member of Parliament for Offinso North Constituency, made this observation when addressing the Ghana Coffee Business Forum, held at the plush Marriott International Hotel in Accra on Wednesday, May 22, 2019.

Robust regulations

The event, the first of its kind in Ghana, was held alongside the seventh General Assembly and fifth Scientific Colloquium of the Agency of Coffee Robusta of Africa and Madagascar (ACRAM).

Mr Ntim, commenting further, assured that the government’s aim of establishing the PERD programme will be achieved.

He lauded the Coffee Federation of Ghana (CFG) for availing itself and forging ties with the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and other key stakeholders to review the existing coffee regulations to make it more robust to drive the sector forward.

About PERD

PERD, an ambitious programme launched in Dunkwa-On-Offin on April 23, 2019, seeks to support Ghanaian export-based crops such as coffee, cashew, oil palm, mango, shea and rubber to accelerate growth. It was rolled out by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

The programme is expected to boost Ghana’s efforts towards diversification, creating sources of revenue, and developing the rural economy.

The PERD programme is implemented on its tripod strategic pillars focusing on deficient farm support, reliable business support and effective regulatory regime.

The on-farm support seeks to supply only certified planting materials of coffee, cashew, oil palm, rubber, shea, and mango and extension services to Ghanaian farmers at zero cost so as to enable them to expand their production efficiencies to produce good and quality materials to meet both domestic and industrial needs.

The second pillar seeks to develop strong business support through the new business linkages and open up the commodity value chains and increase private sector investments.

To consolidate the expected results of the above commitments, the third pillar focuses on strong regulatory regimes. A National Tree Crop Authority is expected to be established in this regard.