A troubling wave of unapproved raw rubber exports is raising alarm within the agribusiness sector, spotlighting serious regulatory lapses by the Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA) and threatening integrity of the country's industrialisation agenda.
Despite a clear directive issued in May 2025 under Regulation 50 of the Tree Crop Regulation, 2023 (L.I. 2471) - which mandates that exporters of unprocessed rubber, cashew and shea obtain permits before shipping - truckloads of raw rubber are allegedly being hauled from major producing areas to Tema, bypassing all regulatory controls.
Inquiries by B&FT, including photographic documentation and stakeholder interviews, confirm that raw rubber is being transported from Ahanta West, Nzema East, Jomorro, Ellembele, Amenfi and Tarkwa-Nsuaem areas with active plantations directly to Tema, where no licenced rubber processors operate.
The Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA), created under Act 1010 in 2019, is mandated to regulate and promote Ghana's tree crop sector - including rubber, cashew, oil palm, mango, coconut and shea.
