The Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) has formally responded to recent media reports, including the March 31, 2026, Daily Graphic article titled “Under-Invoicing Rocks Raw Rubber Exports”, describing the coverage as misleading, unverified, and “paid propaganda.”
The Authority also refuted claims in the New Republic newspaper on April 2, 2026, headlined “Scandal Rocks Ghana’s Rubber Export…70 Million Vanishes in Export Scam”, and the MyJoyOnline.com report of April 1, 2026, entitled “Under-Invoicing Scandal Hits Ghana’s Raw Rubber Exports, Over US$700m Unaccounted For.”
In a detailed rejoinder, TCDA challenged several assertions made in these reports, emphasizing that many claims were unsupported by verifiable data and lacked consultation with the relevant regulatory bodies.
Key Points from TCDA’s Rejoinder
1. Investigative Claims Questioned
TCDA stated that the Daily Graphic did not contact the Authority, the statutory body supervising the tree crop industry, to verify any allegations. “A genuine investigation would have sought TCDA’s perspective. Its absence demonstrates a predetermined narrative,” the statement said.
2. Export Permits and Volume Claims
The reports compared 2024 and 2025 export permits. TCDA noted that a permit system for raw rubber exports was only introduced on May 2, 2025. Comparing 2024, when no permit system existed, is therefore misleading.
3. Pricing Mechanism Misrepresented
The newspapers presented annual average rubber prices as evidence of under-invoicing. TCDA clarified that monthly minimum producer prices reflect global market fluctuations, making annual averages an inaccurate measure.
4. Financial Figures Unverified
Claims citing figures of $49.6 million and $21 million were described by TCDA as unverified. No official body, including the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) or Ministry of Finance, has authenticated these amounts.
5. Foreign Exchange Assertions
TCDA emphasized that only the Bank of Ghana (BoG) supervises the Letter of Commitment (LOC) regime under the Foreign Exchange Act. The newspapers failed to confirm any claims of exporters retaining proceeds offshore.
6. Market Access and Legal Compliance
The reports suggesting the rubber market should be restricted to local processors were deemed incorrect. Farmers have the legal right to sell to any TCDA-licensed actor, whether local or international.
7. Processing Capacity and Production Figures
Production and processing figures cited in the articles for 2025 could not be verified by any mandated agency. TCDA described the numbers as unsourced and “designed to provoke outrage.”
8. Stakeholder Relations
Letters portrayed as “frustrations” were characterized by TCDA as routine policy correspondence, not evidence of conflict or crisis.
9. Omission of Regulatory Interventions
TCDA criticized the omission of its publicly known interventions and enforcement actions since 2019, particularly the May 2025 permit regime, calling it a deliberate attempt to manufacture controversy.
Call for Apology and Front-Page Rejoinder
The Authority concluded that these media reports failed multiple standards of responsible journalism. TCDA requested that a rejoinder be published on the front page with the same prominence as the original articles, urging that this be done by April 10, 2026, to provide the public with a timely, balanced, and accurate account.
