Palm Oil Crisis: OPDAG Wants Smuggling Stopped As Ghana Faces Major Supply Shortage

stated that Ghana’s palm oil sector — which provides direct employment to more than 1.2 million Ghanaians — is under serious threat due to the influx of unapproved and substandard vegetable oils on the local market. Mr. Amaning explained that Ghana currently cultivates about 300,000 hectares of oil palm, producing around 300,000 metric tonnes of crude palm oil annually. However, national demand stands at approximately 400,000 metric tonnes, leaving a shortfall of over 100,000 metric tonnes that smugglers continue to exploit. “This supply gap has created a loophole that smugglers are taking advantage of, flooding our markets with unwholesome products that endanger both consumer health and the survival of local industries,” he said. “If these illegal activities are not curtailed, thousands of jobs will be lost, and the nation could forfeit significant revenue.” The engagement followed a stakeholder meeting organized by the Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA), under the leadership ...