OPDAG Commends Government, GRA Over Seizure of Illegal Vegetable Oil Imports

The Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG) has commended the Government of Ghana and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for the recent interception and confiscation of illegally imported vegetable oil consignments.

According to OPDAG, the enforcement action demonstrates the government’s commitment to protecting public revenue, maintaining market integrity, and safeguarding the interests of legitimate local producers within the edible oil industry.

The President of Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG) , Dr. Paul Kwabena Amaning, made this known at a press conference in Accra.

The association noted that investigations into the seized consignments revealed widespread under-declaration of values, weights, and tariff classifications, practices it said have contributed to significant revenue losses and market distortions.

OPDAG expressed support for the government’s directive to intensify investigations, enforce sanctions, and hold those involved accountable.

The association warned that the persistent influx of illegally imported vegetable oils poses a serious threat to Ghana’s edible oil value chain, which provides direct and indirect employment for more than 500,000 people across farming, processing, logistics, refining, and distribution.

It said such practices create unfair price advantages, undermine local producers, discourage investment, and threaten national food security.

Despite existing regulations, OPDAG raised concerns about the continued illegal entry of vegetable oil through porous land borders and transit diversion routes.

It also cited inadequate customs reference pricing, abuse of transit regimes, and weaknesses in port and border controls as factors undermining revenue mobilisation efforts.

To consolidate recent enforcement gains, OPDAG called for sustained zero-tolerance action against illegal vegetable oil imports, including intensified border surveillance and the prosecution of offenders.

The association further urged that vegetable oil imports be routed exclusively through seaports, with land-border entry strictly prohibited.

Other recommendations include aligning customs reference pricing with prevailing international market prices, strengthening transit controls through digital tracking and financial guarantees, and introducing a national traceability and tax stamp system in collaboration with relevant regulatory agencies.

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OPDAG also called for responsible management of confiscated vegetable oil, suggesting that seized products be channelled into buffer stock arrangements rather than auctioned at discounted prices, which could further distort the market.

The association reaffirmed its readiness to collaborate with government institutions and enforcement agencies to protect national revenue, strengthen local industry, preserve jobs, and promote a fair, transparent, and sustainable vegetable oil market in Ghana.

 

Source: Isaac Kofi Dzokpo