Ghanaian exporters urged to maintain safety standards

The European Union (EU) has asked Ghanaian horticultural exporters to strive to meet various regulations and standards to help meet the increasing demand from their buyers.

Exporters interested in the market must demonstrate fair and ethical trade as well as respect for the environment to keep their foothold in the market.

Ms. Morgan Webb, Policy Adviser, Pesticide Initiative Programme (PIP) who made this disclosure in an interview after the launch of the second phase of the PIP in Accra, explained that the growing concerns over climate change has focused attention on the horticultural production, which has brought the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)-EU fresh produce trade into the spotlight.

“EU consumers have become more interested in the social impact of the goods they buy, and some retailer brands are going beyond quality and food safety messages on their labels to also include information about fair, ethical and sustainable trade.

“Retailers interested in the scheme must demonstrate fair and ethical trade as well as respect for the environment, emphasising that producers and exporters in the country must adapt and keep up with the new requirement,” Ms. Webb indicated.

She said to ensure that the horticultural trade continues to be a driver for economic growth, ACP countries - including Ghana - must have the necessary information, skills and human resources to maintain market access and capitalise on new opportunities.

She said local service providers trained by PIP had largely replaced the EU expertise in the delivery of technical assistance to producers and exporters, and that 42 companies and support structures in Ghana had benefitted from the programme.

Ghana Export Promotion Council’s (GEPC) export performance report for 2009 shows a sharp decline in horticultural exports - especially the leading crop, pineapple, which managed an export volume of only 29,000 metric tonnes (MT), representing an over-59 percent decline from the 2004 peak export volume of 71,000 MT.

Available data from the Sea-freight Pineapple Exporters of Ghana (SPEG) show that the number of their active pineapple exporters has dropped to 15, contrasting sharply with the 2004 membership of 42 exporters.

Mr. David Domes, a representative from the European Commission, explained that the PIP is fully in line with the guiding principles of the ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement which aimed at supporting the development of the private sector in ACP countries to alleviate poverty and to promote regional integration,

“Agriculture is a dominant economic sector, and sanitary issues are central to trade and regional integration in Africa. Specific laws covering different sectors would lead to enforcement, monitoring and verification of compliance.”

He indicated the agreements would provide the legal and regulatory framework for improved access of the ACP countries to EU markets, and that complementary measures were being taken to strengthen the supply capacity of African countries and to make sure the countries could actually benefit from improved markets.

The programme, which is initiated by the European cooperation, is being financed by the European Union and working to support the horticultural sector.

The second phase of the PIP is aimed at supporting the horticulture sector and improving on agricultural practice and food safety in the country.

The PIP was set up to help producers and exporters to make the necessary adaptation in installing traceability and food hygiene systems, as well as staff training to assist local service providers to enhance their competence and to recognise the expertise of ACP states in food safety.

The programme had supported 28 ACP countries covering 80 percent of product exports from the ACP to European countries.