TCDA, Institutional stakeholders to form joint taskforce to combat Illicit Refined Oil Palm and Vegetable oil Importation

The Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) has led a high-level engagement with key institutional and regulatory stakeholders to intensify collaboration in tackling the illicit importation of refined palm oil and vegetable oils into the country. The chief executive of TCDA , Dr. Andy Osei Okrah emphasized that TCDA remains committed to building a resilient oil palm industry by fostering stakeholder collaboration, ensuring compliance with regulations and licensing and protecting local industry from unfair trade practices and streamline the oil palm sector. The joint monitoring and enforcement taskforce will combat the influx of smuggled and unregistered cooking oil on the Ghanaian market.
“We realized that because of our newness, many people are unaware of our mandate, so we engaged stakeholders to educate them. I am happy they have pledged their support to help us ensure compliance for the economic benefit of the country,” he said.
Dr Okrah said the Authority could not achieve effective regulation alone and needed to work closely with relevant state agencies as prescribed by law.
He explained that the joint taskforce would monitor, inspect, and verify the registration and licensing status of businesses dealing in cooking oil.
“If there are recalcitrant ones who are not following the law, then the law will take its course,” he noted.
Data presented by the Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG) at the meeting revealed that about 90 per cent of cooking oil on the local market was smuggled and uncertified.
The Association warned that the trend threatened the survival of Ghana’s oil palm industry, which employed more than 850,000 people, including 36,000 women, and contributed over GH¢500 million in annual taxes.