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.
The export permit requirement was designed to protect local processors, stimulate value addition and ensure that raw material exports comply with national priorities, including the 24-hour economy strategy. Yet, stakeholders say the policy is being flouted with impunity.
“In weeks following the directive, we saw increased supply to local factories,” said one industry source. “But that quickly dried up. What we now have is open smuggling under regulatory blindspots.”
In a telephone interview, TCDA Chief Executive Officer Andrew Okrah admitted the Authority had received complaints from rubber outgrowers about the illegal movement of raw rubber, but said the agency has been unable to pinpoint loading sites.
Even more troubling, he confirmed that not a single exporter has applied for a permit to export unprocessed rubber since the regulation came into force. “If we haven’t received any request for a permit, then officially no one is exporting raw rubber,” Mr. Okrah said.
To address the enforcement gap, he announced plans to introduce Conveyance Certificates for trucks transporting rubber – an initiative aimed at improving traceability and curbing smuggling. The Authority has also held discussions with Customs officials, he said, to emphasise the need for strict enforcement at Ghana’s ports.
Despite the TCDA CEO’s assertion that the Authority cannot locate the loading sites, checks revealed stuffing the containers with rubber cuplumps for export is being done at the terminals of Tema Port in clear view of the authorities.
However, industry stakeholders argue that these actions are too little, too late. “Trucks loaded with rubber are being seen in broad daylight heading to Tema, with no evidence of regulatory oversight,” one stakeholder remarked. “The TCDA appears overwhelmed – or worse, disengaged.” The development poses a serious threat to local processors, many of whom are operating below capacity due to inconsistent access to raw materials. The impact, experts warn, could extend to job losses, declining export revenues and setbacks to the government’s broader industrial transformation agenda.
The smuggling problem is not new. In previous years the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) of Trade Union Congress warned against loopholes that allowed secondary buyers to export raw rubber untaxed. GAWU has long called for a total ban on unprocessed rubber exports, arguing that lax regulation undermines local industry development.
In a related development, a senior official involved in government’s 24-hour economy initiative told B&FT that reports of illegal rubber exports have reached the attention of policymakers. Given rubber’s potential role in the industrialisation strategy, he said, the issue will be closely monitored moving forward.
Stakeholders are now calling for swift government intervention-including real-time monitoring systems, road checkpoints, stricter Customs enforcement and punitive measures against violators.
“The current situation undermines investor confidence,” another stakeholder said. “Without robust enforcement, the rubber sector risks collapsing under the weight of illegal trade and regulatory inertia.”
