Vegetable producers and exporters in the country are targetting an annual revenue of US$7million between now and next year as contribution to the non-traditional export sector (NTE).
The revenue projection is the result of increasing demands in the EU and US markets coupled with high production capacity in Ghana.
“We are scaling-up production, expanding markets to other continents and seeing how best we can ship by sea to increase revenue,” Dr. Felix Kamassah, President of Ghana Vegetables.
Dr. Felix Kamassah added that it was the decision of two major players in the country’s vegetable sector, the Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association of Ghana (VEPEAG) and the Ghana Association of Vegetable Exporters (GAVEX), to unionise under a new alliance called Ghana Vegetables. This was important because vegetable and fruit production requires significant investment with a collective front.
Vegetables are identified as a priority product in the national export development strategy of the country, therefore it will take coordinated efforts from all stakeholders to deepen exports, according to Albert Kassim Diwura, Deputy CEO of GEPA, who spoke at the opening event.
“I am delighted to learn that the two leading institutions in the country’s vegetable sector have decided to merge forces to increase the production and export of vegetables. This timely union is expected to bring beneficial synergies to increase revenue through exports,” Mr. Diwura said.
CEO of the Ghana Incentive-Based Risk Sharing-System for Agriculture Lending (GIRSAL), Kwesi Korboe, said joining of the two associations will deepen standards and ensure vegetables and fruit from Ghana become competitive in the global market.