The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry has immediately imposed a 10-year prohibition on the export of raw natural rubber from Ghana in a move aimed at strengthening domestic industrial capacity and promoting value addition.
Signed by the sector minister, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, on April 27, the directive stems from a Cabinet resolution and high-level deliberations at the Office of the President under the Accelerated Export Development Programme.
Over the past year, the Daily Graphic has published several reports highlighting concerns that the export of unprocessed rubber was threatening the survival of local processing plants, risking job losses, and raising suspicions of under-invoicing practices that could facilitate money laundering and transfer pricing.
According to the ministry, the suspension is designed to guarantee sufficient supply of raw natural rubber for local manufacturers to support domestic production.
A circular issued to industry stakeholders referenced a Cabinet decision dated November 11, 2025, as well as outcomes from a meeting chaired by the President on the Accelerated Export Development Programme at the Presidency.
It further stated that, effective immediately, the export of raw natural rubber from Ghana is prohibited for a period of ten years.
The policy note emphasised that the restriction supports national programmes such as the Accelerated Export Development Programme, the Feed-the-Industry initiative, and the 24-Hour Economy agenda, all focused on boosting local manufacturing, industrial growth, exports, and employment creation.
Under the directive, enforcement responsibilities have been assigned to the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Ghana Police Service, the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), and other relevant agencies to ensure strict compliance at all ports, borders, and export points.
The circular warned that any individual or company that violates the directive will face legal sanctions in line with Ghanaian laws.
It also clarified that the ban will remain active until it is reviewed, amended, or lifted by the sector minister based on Cabinet direction or once policy objectives are achieved.
As part of stakeholder engagement ahead of enforcement, the minister met with key players in the rubber sector last Tuesday to address industry challenges, including pricing concerns surrounding raw rubber.
The meeting brought together farmers, association leaders, processors, Customs officials from the GRA, representatives of the TCDA, and other stakeholders across the rubber value chain.
Among those present were the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, and the Chief Executive Officer of the TCDA, Dr Andy Okrah.
Reaffirming government policy direction, the minister stressed Ghana’s ambition to build a more industrialised economy where raw materials are processed locally to generate higher value.
Mrs Ofosu-Adjare also called on industry players to adhere to the export ban, assuring them that the ministry would work with relevant institutions to resolve bottlenecks within the rubber sector to ensure fair benefits across the value chain.
The GRA Commissioner-General, for his part, urged stakeholders to collaborate in protecting their businesses while strengthening the overall sustainability of the rubber industry.
In the background, concerns have been raised that uncontrolled raw rubber exports have contributed to the collapse of a multi-million-cedi credit scheme meant to support production, with significant loan repayments remaining outstanding.
From the GH¢673.9 million released under the Rubber Outgrower Plantation Project (ROPP), only about 12 per cent has been recovered since disbursements began in 2006 through state-owned financial institutions.
By 2017, repayments stood at just GH¢78.9 million, leaving roughly GH¢595 million representing nearly 88 per cent still unpaid by beneficiary outgrowers.
Institutions including the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), the National Investment Bank (NIB), Rubber Plantation Ghana Limited (RPGL), Ghana Rubber Estate Limited (GREL), and associations such as ROAA and AERRO have jointly appealed to the Ministries of Finance, Food and Agriculture, and Trade for urgent intervention.
Following earlier export restrictions introduced at the start of the year, stakeholders intensified calls for a full ban, citing persistent under-invoicing and its negative impact on the industry.