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Ghana aims to increase palm oil production
- African Farming Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Cameroon targets 100 hectares of cocoa farm land with WCF support
- Business in Cameroon Wednesday, 22 April 2015
Ghanaian farmers to benefit from cocoa incentives.
- African Farming Monday, 23 March 2015
Cameroon plans to use better quality of seeds in its palm oil sector to help raise production of the oil by 26 per cent over the next three years.
- African Farming, Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Hardly a year has passed since the Ebola crisis, which has put a dent on the investment climate in African agriculture in general and in the palm oil sector specifically. Although there have been new palm oil companies in both Liberia and Sierra Leone, and talk of more, governments are slowly revitalizing this sector with new incentives and support. Companies that already have a presence continue to soldier on and operate in this challenging business environment.
In April this year, Ghana announced plans to become a net exporter of palm oil within 10 years. At the same time the Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG), was launched with the objective to assist the country in achieving its production potential. Comprising of industry players throughout the entire palm oil value chain, the association members will have a huge part to play to collaborate with the government and all stakeholders to make Ghana a net exporter, tackle a number of central problems and hindrances holding the industry back from land acquisition to funding issues.
Can comparative yields with those achieved in Southeast Asia be achieved in Africa with growing investment and improved agriculture techniques? Can new specialised planting material suited to the African climate, boost oil yields per hectare? At present, smallholders account for about 70-80% of African oil palm growers. What programs for smallholders are being organised to improve their agriculture systems, and also ensure their social compliance so that International exporters can buy from them with the knowledge that they are engaging in sustainable business practices?
There is a gathering pace for palm oil demand from African consumers as the growing middle class drives growth in consumption .The current shortfall in domestic production is met with imports from Asia at a cost in the region of $3bn-$4bn per annum to African countries.
Cocoa
Cocoa production in Ghana, the world’s 2nd largest producer has been reported to be weak against expectation for 2014/15. This has been partly due to poor crop protection, insufficient use of fertiliser and a declining cocoa labour force.
This underlines the problem that the global chocolate confectionery sector has -which is its reliance on West African production for some 73% of the annual global crop. With the fragile state of African cocoa production sector -has African cocoa production peaked ?
Whatever the challenges, this does not stop big companies like French food company Danone and US-based chocolate manufacturer Mars from investing over US$120 million over the next decade in an investment fund aimed at increasing the productivity of cocoa smallholder farmers in Africa. |
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CMT's Palm Oil Africa series
CMT is pleased to revive its 3rd Palm Oil series this year, again in Ghana as the government implements a National Palm Oil Program to improve the industry. This 3rd edition expand to Rubber & Cocoa, both exciting crops for Africa with growth potential. CMT's 1st Agriworld conference was held in Accra and was very well attended by over 200 participants, the 2nd Palm Oil Africa conference was held in Gabon, supported by Olam. |
Rubber
How much has rubber investments in the region been hit? As weakness in the global rubber price drives down revenue and bottomline, operating in current business environment remains challenging. Still companies like GMG , Siat continue to focus on developing their market presence, managing their operating costs and wait for the global natural rubber market conditions to turn favourable.
CMT's 3rd AFRICA Palm Oil conference includes Rubber & Cocoa investments have been carefully put together and draws international stakeholders to take part and share latest developments in Africa’s potential in the 3 major crops.
Key Highlights include
- Sustainability in rubber and oil palm plantations of the Siat Group in Africa
- Olam's sustainable cocoa program and value chain activities in Ghana
- Boosting Palm Oil Production in Ghana - the role of OPDAG (Oil Palm Development Association in Ghana)
- Liberia perspective on the oil palm sector and the rubber value chain
- Helping Small & Medium Scale Farmer increase productivity & profitability in the oil palm sector
- Cameroon Palm Oil Plantations and the Governments Implementation Program to Improve the industry
- Development equity and its role in the palm oil sector - AAF's palm oil Investments in Sierra Leone and DRC
- Upstream and downstream investment opportunities in the rubber industry in Nigeria
- Developing large scale sustainable plantations in public private partnerships
- Cocoa and the fragile state of The African Production Sector - Has African Cocoa Production peaked?
- Rejuvenating Cameroon's cocoa industry - challenges in increasing yield and quality
- Biomass origination from West Africa from Palm kernel shells & rubber woodchips
- Latest on Oil Palm Breeding and Disease Resistance
- Palm Oil Processing Technology in West Africa – Opportunities & barriers
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