President Nana Akufo-Addo has disclosed that government will soon establish a Tree Crop Development Authority in a bid to promote the development of other cash crops produce across the country.

According to him, parliament will soon consider a bill for the establishment of the authority so that the country does not solely rely on cocoa as its sole cash crop produce.

The President added that the authority will supervise the development of other cash crops such as mango and cashew that hold great potential.

“For far too long we have lived on the back of one mono-crop, cocoa, when we have the opportunity to develop other cash crops that could earn us as much money as cocoa,” the president said.

“I’m referring to cashew, rubber, oil palm and mango with the target to support the cocoa [we grow]… The tree planting authority will be established to police the development of these cash crops the same way as cocoa,” Akufo-Addo added.

Nana Akufo-Addo made this known during an Encounter with the Media on Friday, December 13.

Akufo-Addo says he believes that the authority will ensure that other crops earn Ghana much revenue as well as improve the capacities of local farmers to produce more.

“A lot of basic inputs have been distributed through the District Assemblies to our farmers so that we can begin to develop our own capacity to producing food and meat in our country.”

“A lot of investment is going into agriculture, all of this with the aim of improving and enhancing our own capacity to feed ourselves, and be responsible for our own lives and not depend on donor contribution to agriculture,” Akufo-Addo stated.