By P.K Yankey
Takoradi, Sept. 30, GNA – The youth and women in the country have been encouraged to venture into coconut farming as a business alternative to help turn their economic fortunes round.
Panelists during a discussion said the destructive nature of cocoa, a major cash crop by illegal mining activities (galamsey) made coconut production a more viable cash crop locally and globally.
The discussion was on the topic: “Strategies to promote youth and women in entrepreneurship and the coconut business,” as part of efforts to achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) five.
It formed part of a three-day International Coconut Festival held in Takoradi on the theme: “Invest in Ghana’s Coconut Sector for an Inclusive Economic Transformation and Improved Climate and Social Resilience.”
Speaking on how to make agriculture more attractive to the youth, Mr Davies Narh Korboe, 2009 National Best Farmer and Chairman of African Coconut Groups (ACG), stressed the need for stakeholders to make agriculture an important aspect of schools’ curricular activities, while offering motivation to attract women and youth into agribusiness.
Dr Yayra Affram, a Research Scientist at the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), said the CSIR had developed high yielding coconut varieties to replace moribound trees as a result of the Cape Saint Paul wilter disease.
He stressed the need for value addition to coconut to help meet international standards for the global market.
Mrs Perpetual Mary Kwakuyi, Executive Director of Goshen Global Vision (GGV), said her outfit had taken coconut tree plantation to the doorsteps of the youth at the grassroots as well as second cycle institutions to create the awareness on the need to plant the trees.
She said once the passion to venture into coconut farming was developed, the next step was availability of land as the basic factor of production.
She, therefore, appealed to traditional authorities to make land acquisition easier for youth and women to undertake their coconut production activities.
Mr Patrick Ndabiah, Chairman of Africa Coconut Federation (ACF), said incentives to motivate women into coconut farming must be made a priority to retain their interests in the business.
Mr Benjamin Owusu Bediako, a coconut farmer, said the coconut business was very lucrative and urged others to venture into it.
GNA