Features
Coconut – potential income generation
• Coconut is nutritious and has many benefits
Ghana is endowed with numerous resources that can be fully utilised to generate more revenue to improve the welfare of the people and also carry out a number of development projects.
The country can boast of food items like pineapples, tomatoes, oranges and coconut among others. All these items can be exported to other countries to raise money to meet the economic challenges of the country.
At this time when economic conditions all over the world are not favourable, the time has come for countries that are endowed with a variety of resources, whether food or non-food crops, to look within and focus on full utilisation of these to make it possible for them to carry out the needed economic agenda. Some countries do not have any resources for exploitation to meet their economic needs.
In the case of Ghana, however, resources abound everywhere particularly in the agricultural sector and all these can be fully utilised for the good of the country. Flagship programmes such as Planting for Food and Jobs as well as Planting for Exports and Rural Development introduced by the government are good and ought to be rigidly implemented to address certain problems in the country.
Apart from exporting them to generate more revenue, they can be processed to meet the food needs of Ghanaians.
In addition, they will provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youths if these are implemented to the letter in an attractive manner. If well organised in line with the vision of the government as well as supported by the people in this country, the sky will be the limit as far as domestic output and output for exports are concerned.
Furthermore, proceeds from these items can be used to finance development programmes in the rural sectors of the economy. When this happens, development will be spread to all parts of the country irrespective of whether they are rural or urban. It will also mean that rural-urban drift which influences social life in the country will be aborted. Such a development will be positive for the country and that is why non-traditional exports need to be encouraged and enhanced in this country.
One crop which can be fully utilised in this manner is coconut. Coconut has been with this country for years but the full potential for export has not been exploited.
A few weeks ago, some chiefs and people in the Western Region voiced out a fact that as a country, we need to pay attention to developing and promoting the export of coconut because of its great potential as income earner for the nation. If this is carried out well, it will generate more revenue than other crops known in the country.
A careful study and analysis on this situation shows that paying attention to the coconut tree can stimulate expansion in income earned from this crop. If this is the case, then the time has come for us to develop this industry and prepare it for both local consumption and export.
Coconut is nutritious and has many benefits that can accrue to the nation. What this means is that we all have a national assignment as far as coconut is concerned to be carried out in the interest of everyone and for the common good of Ghanaians.
Coconut is a precious commodity that is also valuable the production of which has to be encouraged as much as possible. At this time when the country needs to generate more revenue, one area we can look at is the export of a non-traditional export like coconut. Apart from generating income for the local people, it will also be able to bring in more developmental projects for the country.
Ghana’s exports of Desiccated Coconut to the world recorded a significant jump of 249 per cent in value in 2021 compared to the previous year. According to the Ghana Exports Promotion Authority (GEPA), exports stood at $21.985 million in 2021 compared to $6.3 million in 2020 and $3.8 million in 2019. This ranked the nation 9th in global exports of Desiccated Coconut.
This trend shows that coconut has the potential of being ranked a significant export earner for the country. Seeing it in this way, we need to pay serious attention to this product and encourage its production and export.
The GEPA in line with its mandate is doing wonderfully well in the area of promoting many non-traditional exports to generate substantial income for the country. The Authority must therefore be commended for a good work done since this is what the country needs as far as expansion and diversification of income generation is concerned.
From 2017 to 2021, growth in export earnings from Desiccated Coconut exported by Ghana averaged 45 per cent. This is an indication that coconut is one potential crop that should not be toyed with by this country.
COVID-19 as well as the Russian-Ukraine war have created economic problems for the world but this is the time for all countries particularly those in Africa to put their forces together and restrategize in the diversification of revenue for themselves.
In the case of Ghana, the potential of the coconut as a game changer in revenue has been uncovered so we need to press the button of growth and expansion as far as coconut export is concerned.
We are, therefore, appealing to the youth of this country to look at going into coconut production for export because ultimately, they will never be disappointed as far as substantial income generation is concerned. In addition, they will be self employed, commanding great respect in society and also generate substantial income for this country.
Email address/whatsApp number of author:
Pradmat201@gmail.com (0553318911)
By Dr. Kofi Amposah-Bediako
THE typical itinerant salesman in Sikaman is a herbalist. He is normally a slim macho with the capacity to perambulate the expanse of area covering the triangle of Accra-Tema-Ashiaman. In short, he can walk a total of 60 miles a day, marketing a product that cures every disease, including poverty. 
The door-to-door herbal pharmacist advertises his product by word of mouth. He has nothing to do with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). After all, his concoctions do not feature on FM stations.
Those herbalists who cannot walk to propagate the herbal gospel, liaise with drivers of mass transportation and their mates. They are, therefore, given the chance to sell their products on Benz buses that ply the routes.
Normally, the herbalist starts his sales message with a prayer and Bible study. He asks the passengers to bow down their heads in supplication to God the father, the son, the Holy Spirit.
When a herbalist asks the passengers to close their eyes and bow their heads, Moslems on board naturally feel offended. They feel that the herbalist has no right to assume that every passenger is a Christian. They think such an assumption is an affront to Islam.
So a Moslem on board will raise the hand for a point of order. He’ll remind the herbalist that it would be in his own interest to mind his language.
“Be careful the way you address people in a public place. Not every person here is a Christian,” he’d state assertively.
Of course, the herbalist will promptly ignore him, but would all the same “watch” his tongue. Who knows whether or not the Moslem brother is inspired by Quoranic zeal to defend the tenets of Islam to the hilt?
When he starts saying, “Wallahi!” and “Inshallah!” it could be the beginning of proclaiming Islam as supreme, a point which must be driven home with talibanic precision.
So the herbalist must tread carefully lest he steps on fire.
The herbalist could even add a measure of mirth to it all, by announcing that Christians on board today have very interesting company on the journey, but that should not detract from the business of the day.
The Moslem brother will weigh the words carefully and offer a wry smile.
He must be careful the occasion does not degenerate into the use of semantics and proverbial oration to deride his conviction that public utterances must be mindful of religious sensibilities. He has made his point very clear and expects that it is taken in good faith in the interest of a peaceful journey.
The herbalist will now open the New Testament and preach salvation, stating clearly that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ and NOBODY else.
The Moslem brother will now start twitching his moustache. The visible and almost revolutionary reflexes of his upper lip can be an indication that sentiments have begun superseding reason, and the outcome could well be tragic now shift uneasily in his seat.
The time has come for him to also express his right to the religion of his fore-bears. He’ll put his hand into his pocket and rise to his feet. The time has indeed come!
This article was first published on Saturday, September 9, 2006
When the cause of a particular problem like sickness, disease, sudden illness, a social issue etc. are not known, it stands to reason that resolving it becomes a huge challenge.
Citizens would understand the government when public announcements are made to the effect that government is trying to find a solution to the issue, even though it is taking a while for it to be resolved because citizens are rational beings.
On the other hand, if the solution to a particular issue is known to everybody but the government for whatever reason, is dragging its feet in resolving it, citizens become frustrated and begin to lose trust in their leaders.
One such issue is the heavy traffic along a section of the Kasoa – Odokor road. A short stretch of bad road between the traffic light at the Weija Government Hospital and the entrance to the entrance of the overhead that leads to the N1, is the cause of the problem but nothing is being done about it, day after day, week after week, month after month. Thus is clearly unacceptable.
Another issue that requires urgent attention is the lack of pavements along a lot of streets in parts of the various Municipal Assemblies. Exercise is a prerequisite for long life and healthy living and for those of us who it has become a way of life, this issue of people putting up structures right to the edge of the drains beside the roads, are making life difficult for us.
We are compelled to walk along the roads, putting our lives at serious risk. Pedestrians should never be compelled to compete with vehicles on our streets and roads. Roads and streets are made for vehicles and pavements are made for pedestrians. That is the norm. Any attempt to normalise a situation where pedestrians are mingling with vehicles is insanity.
It is the road regulations that makes it so and therefore district or municipal assemblies are to take responsibility and ensure that spaces for pavements are not encroached upon. Citizens have rights that must be protected by their leaders and making pavements available to pedestrians, is one of them.
When we hear of teachers having sex with students, it appears it is something recent. It is not a new phenomenon. It has been there since Adam. Perhaps this issue is getting much attention due to the proliferation of social media. It was an open secret in times past when Teachers were in relationships with female students and some married them immediately after completion of school.
Some teachers were also known to be having unholy interactions with female pupils but due to the times that these acts occurred, human rights issues and the awareness around it, allowed such unscrupulous teachers to get away with their crimes.
Now we are in a different era and so a Headmaster is now in hot waters. He is alleged to have raped about 19 female students and as usual, some officials tried to cover it up and are also in hot waters and their actions or inactions in the matter are under investigation.
Why the man has been allowed to roam freely without being arrested is simply mind boggling. It appears that the law applies differently, depending on who you are. This issue came to public attention sometime in August this year, yet the police had not arrested or invited this man for question regarding the rape allegation.
It has come out that he is a Constituency Secretary of the ruling party and the question in the public domain is that, is it because he is a political figure that is why he is still walking around without questioning? I believe in the rule of law so let us hold our breadth and let the proper thing be done.
The police must however be seen to be active in this matter. God bless.
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