Ministry Of Trade And Industry Organizes Stakeholders' Conference

Hannah Tetteh

The Ministry of Trade and Industry will organize a two-day stakeholders' conference from Wednesday, September 1-2 2010 in Tamale, the Northern regional capital.

The conference is to fashion out a comprehensive strategic framework to guide the revival of the cotton industry in Ghana which is key to the development of the textile and garment industry.

A statement issued in Accra on Monday and signed by Nana Akrasi-Sarpong, Acting Director of Communication and Public Affairs, said the conference would among others, provide a platform to discuss problems that had bedevilled the cotton industry over the years.

It said participants are expected to come out with practical solutions that would help sustain the growth of the industry and to develop an action plan to guide the revival of the cotton industry by outlining a new policy direction.

The cotton industry was very vibrant some years ago, but improper planning, cheap and inferior seeds, poaching and other factors led to the near collapse of the industry, it said.

This has a rippling effect on the textile and garment industry with the collapse of the vertical integrated mills.

The statement said the Ministry of Trade and Industry, in collaboration with the Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF), had provided a GH¢ 3 million facility to cotton farmers in the three regions to revive the once vibrant industry.

The facility covers land preparation, seeds, fertilizers, chemicals and other logistics required to ensure that the products are of high quality and competitive.

The statement said the ministry was focused on developing a vibrant, technology-driven, competitive trade and industrial sector which would contribute significantly to economic growth and employment generation.

It said two core strategies were being pursued by the Ministry, including export-led industrialization and domestic market-led industrialization based on import competition.

The statement noted that the ministry came out with new and comprehensive industry policy.

One of the policy descriptions in Industrial Policy is the need for the Ministries of Trade and Industry and Food and Agriculture to support farmers through a sustained out-grower scheme to produce raw materials.

This collaboration is geared towards reducing post harvest losses and ensuring high and stable prices for the farmers.

The emphasis on the development of out-grower farms would also save companies huge sums of money required to import such raw materials from other countries.

This would also help to meet the minimum production requirements of the companies and thereby sustain job creation.

The statement said the revival of the cotton industry would promote economic activities in the three northern regions and enhance the socio-economic well being of the people to achieve the “Better Ghana” agenda of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

It said participants would be drawn from Parliament, Ministries of Trade and Industry, Food and Agriculture, farmers, cotton companies, banks, development partners, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regional Coordinating Councils (RCC), labour and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO).   

Source: GNA