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In an attempt to promote high-quality oil palm production in the country, Solidaridad, an international civil society organization, in partnership with the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), will train palm oil producers in the last quarter of 2020.
The effort, which is expected to improve market access for workers in the palm oil value chain in producing districts, would also ensure that finished products meet local and international market standards.
Under the alliance, Solidaridad, FDA and the Environmental and Health Units of all the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA) would train 260 owners of artisanal mills and more than 3,000 manufacturers and processors of machinery, to promote food safety standards of high quality among the artisan palm. oil producers.
The capacities of environmental health officials will be strengthened, while the Assemblies will be strengthened to monitor and enforce regulations in the preparation and sale of palm oil.
A statement issued by Solidarity and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday said the FDA had a legal mandate to work with the Assemblies, particularly the Health and Environment Units, to monitor and enforce standards for preparedness. and sale of food products in the country.
Solidaridad, on the other hand, through its Sustainable West African Palm Oil Program, had been working to transform the oil palm sector in the country by promoting better handling and milling practices.
Therefore, Solidarity’s deployment of field officers in the palm oil producing districts would make up for the lack of FDA offices at the district level that had thus far made it difficult for the authority to reach palm oil processors in the districts.
The statement explains that under the alliance, a training program on food safety and good manufacturing practices will be carried out in the palm oil production process for workers in the value chain.
It would cover topics such as hygienic sterilization and digestion of palm fruits, identification of food safety hazards during processing, use of potable water for palm oil processing, waste management, management of tests, cleaning and location of milling equipment and personal hygiene workers of the mills, among others.
The effort would be based on two training programs that Solidaridad and the FDA recently organized in Boadua and Assin Fosu in the Eastern and Central regions respectively, for the staff of the Assemblies Environment and Health unit, the Business Advisory Center and Women in Agriculture. Development in six district assemblies.
The statement quoted Mr. Nicholas Issaka Gbana, Solidaridad’s oil palm program manager, as saying that a substantial portion of Ghana’s palm oil imports could be sourced locally from artisanal palm oil producers if they met quality requirements. from both industrial users and palm oil exporters.
The requirements, he said, included palm oil that was low in free fatty acids below five percent, low rancidity (with the right taste, smell and color) and had no physical, biological or chemical contaminants.
“Our expectation is that our two organizations pool resources to help artisanal palm oil producers meet these requirements,” said Mr. Gbana.
Mr. Kofi Essel, Head of the Department of Industrial Support Services, FDA, is also quoted as saying that his organization was pleased with the partnership and expressed the hope that the collaboration will equip artisanal oil palm producers to process safe products. and quality.
He added that food hygiene and safety should be a central element of all food preparation processes, including palm oil, hence the need for processors to obtain and regularly update their knowledge of food safety and good manufacturing practices.
Essel advised consumers to stop demanding palm oil with a redder hue, explaining that such market preferences cause some unscrupulous palm oil producers to add substances to the product to change its natural color, which could compromise safety. food.
Solidarity and the FDA are following this course as part of the implementation of the second phase of the West Africa Sustainable Palm Oil Program funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) in Accra and the Swiss government through its Secretary of State for Economic Affairs. (DRY).
The program seeks to contribute to the transformation of the oil palm sector in West Africa, increase the income of small farmers and processors, and generate economic growth and employment. SWAPP II is part of Solidaridad’s global agenda to build sustainable production of oil palm and other basic products.
Source: GNA
