By Mildred Siabi-Mensah, GNA
Takoradi, May 28, GNA – The Rubber Processors Association of Ghana (RUPAG) has commended the government for sustaining the ban on raw rubber export for the past ten years.
The move according to the Association, was bold and strategic for the growth of the local rubber industry.
Mr. Perry Acheampong, Secretary to the RUPAG, said in a statement to the GNA that “the association is certain that the directive would help guarantee adequate raw material supply for local processors, promote value addition, protect jobs and encourage industrial expansion and investment within the sector.”
The President, John Dramani Mahama, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, the Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Eric Opoku, Minister for Food and Agriculture as well as Augustus Obuadum Tanoh, Presidential Advisor on the 24-Hour Economy, were highly mentioned for their visionary leadership and responsiveness to concerns raised by stakeholders within the rubber value chain.
The association said, the intervention aligned with government’s industrialization agenda and the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme.
The RUPAG assured the government, farmers and other actors within the rubber value chain that it would fully support the directive and would not take advantage of the ban to the detriment of farmers or traders.
The Association further pledged to continue operating responsibly, transparently and fairly, while strengthening collaboration with farmers, aggregators, traders, regulators and other stakeholders to sustain the rubber industry.
The RUPAG also acknowledged the critical role farmers played in sustaining the sector and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting plantation development, farmer support programmes, increased production and value addition initiatives.
It added that, the Association would cooperate fully with all state institutions responsible for implementing and enforcing the directive to ensure its successful execution in the interest of the industry and the country.
The statement called on stakeholders and all players within the value chain to cooperate fully to ensure the directive delivered the intended benefits for the country.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Mildred Siabi-Mensah
[email protected]