The Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG) calling on the government to empower the Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA) to establish a robust monitoring system to track the importation of oil palm produce into the country. This move aims to identify and prevent illicit imports, as the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) appears unable to effectively address the issue.
According to the association, granting the TCDA regulatory powers would help curb the smuggling of oil palm produce, which is allegedly facilitated by GRA and customs officials. The association’s president, Paul Amaning, claims that Ghana loses over 80 million cedis in tax revenue due to the actions of some top GRA and customs officials at the Aflao border.
He urged Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson to focus on dismissing GRA and customs officers who failed to apprehend a truck carrying smuggled oil palm produce rather than investigating how it entered the country, further warning that continued flooding of the market with illicit oil palm products could collapse the industry.
Amaning also alleged that top officials of GRA and customs are involved in the smuggling and urged the government to take decisive action against them.
Furthermore, he suggested that granting the Tree Crops Development Authority and the Food and Drug Authority partial customs mandate for importing vegetable oil could help bring order to the system.