The training hinged on regulatory requirements, foods safety and quality controls and access to finance, among other things, drive change in how the artisanal oil producers carried out their production methods over the years and how to improve on it.

It formed part of a broader regional strategy to improve the quality and marketability of palm oil from the four districts; 
Tarkwa, Prestea, Wassa East and Ahanta West by equipping farmers and processors with knowledge on best practices, export readiness, and sustainable methods.

Madam Ursula Tawiah, the Deputy Director at the GEPA Western Regional office, said helping the farmers and 
producers in the value chain with the requisite knowledge was cardinal to promote non-traditional export (NTE) products in the country.

The National Export Development Strategy (The NEDS) has prioritized 17 products which include oil seeds and in the Western Region oil palm and coconut.

"We are hoping that the values of NTE's must shoot from 3.8 billion USD to 25.3 billion USD by 2029", she added.
Madam Tawiah mentioned that three years ago, the menace of adding Sudan IV to palm oil processes was a challenge despite efforts to control that nefarious activity.

"Unfortunately, this practice is still on-going. Amidst these challenges there are also outdated processing methods, limited access to high-quality seedlings, inadequate knowledge of export standards that hinder productivity and quality as well as lack of funding".

For the Ahanta West approximately 20,000 metric tons of palm oil are produced annually, adding " we think improved practices could increase production by 40 percent in the next five years."

In Wassa East about 15,000 metric tons done annually, with vast underutilized land suitable for oil palm cultivation to scale up to 25,000 metric tons annually while, Prestea Huni Valley has an output of roughly 18,000 metric tons annually, with small-scale producers dominating.

For Tarkwa Nsuaem over 138,000 oil palm seedlings had been distributed to farmers since 2019 through the government and private initiatives.
She noted that the National Export Development Strategy synergized with the Accelerated Growth for Export Development (EDAG) to integrate small-scale producers into export schemes, encourage stakeholder collaboration, and support the development of large-scale oil palm plantations.
"Our aim at GEPA is to boost export volumes, improve the livelihoods of local producers, and promote sustainable agricultural practices.

The GEPA Regional Officer encouraged the participants to take the training seriously so as to learn more for the advancement of the industry and ready for the Export.

Mr. Benjamin Dadson, Principal Regulatory Officer with the Foods and Drug Authority, advised the palm oil producers to begin doing the right things to ensure that their businesses were sustainable.
He noted that quality assurance was very critical in their area of trade and urged them to avoid food safety errors that hindered quality production.

Mr. Dadson said, "Anytime we come around, we see you committing the same Regulatory offenses and very soon, we may have to close your businesses...start small, use local materials to build rooms for production, storage and distribution points, don't also expose the fruits to animals to walk on it before production".

The FDA Officer said forming groups or co-operatives was also critical so they could access government interventions and other institutional benefits.

Madam Rebecca Williams, a Principal Administrative Officer for the Ghana Standards Authority, said the Authority served as an impartial third-Party organisation for both manufacturers and consumers and would not compromise on their mandate of ensuring that quality products reached the consumer.
She encouraged the palm oil producers to adopt good manufacturing practices and visit the Authority with their product for certification and licensing that could drive their participation in international trade.