Ghana is hopeful of earning approximately US$50 million from exports of rubber by 2017, said an official of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
The West African country exports 95 percent of its rubber produce to France, Turkey, South Korea, East Africa and Burkina Faso.
Joseph Baidoo-Williams, Coordinator, Perennial Corps Programme, said the contribution of rubber cultivation to employment-generation was enormous as it currently provides employment for over 37,083 farmers through its Rubber Out-grower Scheme.
“It has a potential of employing additional 2,250 tappers for 9,000 hectare of which 25 percent are females,” he added.
He explained that 10,500 hectares of rubber trees will be planted between 2010 and 2014, and added that the project will employ an additional 2,750 farmers.
Currently, approximately 11,255 hectares of land are under cultivation in Ghana – producing over 16,000 metric tonnes as of 2009. The rubber plant has a productive lifespan of 35 years.
(By Michael Sarpong Bruce, from Accra)
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