The Export of Horticulture from Ghana From 1997, horticulture exports from Ghana have grown tremendously. Pineapples and citrus fruits form the major bulk of horticultural exports, and these are sent to countries using air and sea route. The government has taken proactive steps to help horticultural exporters by linking them to the SPEG. This enables a ship to anchor at the port of Tema, where one or more holds are loaded with the export and then transported. The Export of Horticulture from Ghana More than 70,000 tonnes of fruits are exported from Ghana annually and the principal fruits exported are pineapples, citrus, bananas, and papayas. Ironically, the country has very few large scale growers and majority of the fruits are cultivated and grown by small growers. One of the largest exporters of pineapples in the country is Farmapine, which is a co-operative of small growers. Pineapples, bananas and papaya are exported to Europe, while citrus finds its way to neighbouring Togo. Sea freight is the most common mode of transportation, but some papayas and pineapples are also exported via air. Vegetables for export are cultivated in the southeast part of the country and more than 20,000 tonnes of vegetables are exported annually. The dominant export is yam, but chillies, okra, eggplant, guar beans, tinda, gourds, marrows and yard long beans are also exported. Vegetables meant for export are handpicked and then sent to Kotoka Airport, where they are repacked and then palletised. While the airport has facilities to repack the vegetables, they are not part of the cargo area. Hence, all repacking is done in open air. Problems with Horticultural Exports from Ghana
Quality is a major issue when it comes to
fruit exports. Growers and exporters have taken steps to conform
to EU rules and regulations by getting EUREP GAP certification
and opting for the COLEACP pesticide initiative. However, very
few of them have been able to meet the EU supermarket
requirements. The biggest challenge that Ghana faces today is
educating the growers about quality issue. As most are small
scale growers, the task on hand is a Herculean one. However, if
the country wants to continue exporting its fruits, it will need
to find a way. The Future of Horticulture Export from Ghana
Ghana needs to reposition its existing
exports that are popular, such as Asian vegetables, chillies,
pineapples and papayas. This is possible only if the country
improves its infrastructure and technical abilities.
Furthermore, Ghana also needs to take a second look at its
marketing strategy, which currently concentrates on a single
product. It should look to integrate multiple product lines. Copyright gepcghana.com 2010 All Rights Reserved |