The Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana says there is a need for the new government to establish dedicated national companies to oversee the production of raw materials to feed the country’s industries.
CEO of the Chamber, Anthony Morrisson maintains that there is a very wide gap between the raw material needs of industries in the country and the agricultural produce. He says the significant gap is filled by expensive exports increasing operational costs of businesses.
Minister-designate for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare has shared similar sentiments at her vetting. She maintains that the country can significantly improve its trade balance if the importation of raw materials could be reduced. She therefore committed to local production of raw materials through contract commercial farming if approved as minister.
However, in an interview monitored by The High Street Journal, the CEO of the Chamber suggested that this vision of the minister-designate could be best achieved if the government could set up a company lawfully mandated to ensure local production of the needed raw materials and onward distribution to industries.
With this, he believes a balanced system would be created where both small and large-scale farms will co-exist to complement industries by providing their raw material needs.
“One of the issues that I think is, set up the raw material company in Ghana. Most of the raw materials we import are because we have not properly aligned the raw material availability of the country to fit the industry,” he observed.
He added, “So we need to find a way where in each region actually we can count between two thousand to five thousand of commercial farms. We need to see a system that is actually being set up that is providing for the industries in the country.”
The ripple effect of such a system, Anthony Morrisson believes is enormous. The establishment of raw material companies would not only enhance industrial growth but also provide employment opportunities for thousands of Ghanaians across the agricultural value chain, from farming and processing to transportation and logistics.
By setting up raw material companies, Ghana can unlock its full economic potential, reduce its dependency on imports, and pave the way for a self-reliant and prosperous future as envisioned by the minister-designate.
