The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo would inaugurate the Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA) Board next week, Vice President Alhaji Dr.Mahamudu Bawumia said on Friday. Already, he said Parliament had passed the Tree Crop Development Authority Act that would manage the cash crop industry.
The Vice President said this when he addressed a durbar of chiefs and people of Berekum and Wamfie as part of his two-day working visit to the Bono Region.Alhaji Dr. Bawumia said the Board would work to promote the cash crop sector and fetch good prices for cashew, shea nuts, mango, rubber, oil palm and coconut. The Board would also be responsible for marketing and research to make the economic crops viable and add on to the nation’s foreign exchange earnings, he said.
Alhaji Dr. Bawumia explained that the cash crops, particularly cashew had huge potential to speedily enhance the nation’s foreign exchange in-flows and facilitate economic prosperity, saying the government was determined to improve on the sector.
The Vice President later cut the sod for work to begin on the rehabilitation of the Berekum town roads, which would be executed by the Sino-hydro Corporation of China.
Daasebre Dr. Amankona Diawuo, the Paramount Chief of Berekum Traditional Area, appealed for the establishment of vocational and technical training institute in the Berekum Municipality.
He said employable skills training held the key to addressing youth unemployment and facilitate speedy development of any developing nation, and therefore appealed for the government to place priority on that.
GNA