The Ministry of Trade and Industry has indicated its commitment to facilitate the export of non-traditional crops (NTEs).

According to Chief Director, Patrick Yaw Nimo, the ministry has implemented policies and initiatives to ensure that businesses as well as farmers benefit fully from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, with specific focus on manufacturing and prodcution.

Speaking at the 2021 West Africa Regional Fairtrade Convention, he urged stakeholders to trade more among themselves and the continent.

“I’m confident that with the onset of the African Continental Free Trade Area, potential for Ghana and its African partners to trade within themselves and the rest of the world is even more enhanced despite the setback of the pandemic. That is why over the last few years, government has concentrated efforts and resources in enhancing manufacturing capacity and value chain through agro-processing and this has been prioritized under the support provided under the One District, One Factory programme,” he indicated.

Chief Executive of Fair Trade Global, Dr. Nyagoy Nyong’o revealed that an amount of 15 million euros was generated both internally and externally to address challenges of farmers caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The effect of covid-19 proved to be diverse and intense. We realized that Fairtrade premium will not be able to cover all their needs and as such, we embarked on internal and external fundraising which till date has raised about 15 million euros,” she disclosed.

Meanwhile, a member of Fairtrade Ghana Network, Florence Blankson has made a call to the Ghana Cocoa Board for a collaboration to regulate prices of cocoa to enable the appropriate portioning of the living income differential.

“There’s this challenge of delaying the payment of cocoa farmers which negatively affects producers, members in no small way. We in this vain wish to call for a committed collaboration of Ghana Cocoa Board and all commercial partners to resolve the issues so that cocoa farmers and the nation as a whole can realize the benefit of the living income differential,” she implored.