The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to enforce the ban on the export of raw rubber, to build an industrialised Ghana, where raw materials are sourced, manufactured and processed locally.
She said, “The government’s position was firm that raw materials produced in Ghana must be processed locally before they leave the country.”
The minister made this statement during a meeting with stakeholders in the rubber industry on Tuesday. The meeting brought together rubber farmers, association representatives, processors, Customs Division officials from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and the Tree Crops Development Authority.
She urged stakeholders to comply with the government’s ban on the exportation of raw rubber and assured industry players that the ministry would work with relevant agencies to remove bottlenecks across the rubber value chain.
The Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Mr Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, encouraged all participants to work collectively to protect their businesses and strengthen the sector’s long-term competitiveness.
The export ban is aimed at stimulating downstream processing industries, creating more value-added jobs locally, and reducing the country’s dependence on the export of unprocessed commodities.
Adwoa Koramah Anokye-Gyimah, ISD
