GEPA budgets GH¢4.2m to boost pineapple production
The Ghana Export Promotion authority (GEPA), as part of its national exports strategy (NES), has developed a comprehensive four - year work project for the revitalization of the smooth cayenne variety of pineapple for both the fresh and high - value process market. The project, which is expected to cost GH ₵4.2 million is aimed at meeting the demand for smooth cayenne pineapple as the preferred choice for processing.
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This was disclosed by the Chief Executive of GEPA, Mrs Gifty Kekeli Klenam, CEO of GEPA and the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Carlos Ahenkorah touring the factory of BomartThis was disclosed by the Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, Mrs Gifty Kekeli Klenam, at the relaunch of the smooth cayenne pineapple variety.
She said suckers were, therefore, needed to expand production in order to take advantage of the demand for the fruits by processors and air-freighted pineapple exporters.
She said the successful implementation of the project would rake in an estimated US$ 13.5 million in terms of revenue over a period of four to five years and also result in the release of over 15 million suckers of smooth cayenne pineapple varieties into the system.
“This has the potential to increase the amount of smooth cayenne suckers planted with a projected planting cover of 120 million field suckers which has the potential to generate 180,000 metric tonnes of fresh pineapples for both export and processing in year one to two after commencement of the project,” she stated.
“There are planned supply schedule arrangements to further ensure ease of access and a sustainable supply of smooth cayenne pineapple fruits for export and processing companies which will help create a significant number of job opportunities, especially for the youth to reduce unemployment.
Farmers’ incomes will be increased which can lead to the growth of our local economy,” she pointed out.
She said the programme would target both processors and exporters as the recipients of the suckers for onward distribution to their outgrowers who had track records as reliable suppliers of fruits to these buyers.
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Project objectives
Touching on the objectives behind this initiative, Mrs Klenam said it was aimed at addressing the weak supply chains to the processing firms and also promote exports of air-freighted smooth cayenne pineapples into a niche market in the EU which was in place as a result of the EU importing fresh smooth cayenne variety of pineapples from neighbouring countries.
She added that it would also seek to introduce healthy smooth cayenne suckers to farmers out of which future multiplications would emanate at the enterprise level and also promote the export of air-freighted smooth cayenne pineapples to earn foreign exchange for the country.
“This will also increase the production volume of the smooth cayenne variety of pineapples as raw materials for the numerous processing firms established in the country, help create jobs and increase incomes of the beneficiary farmers,” she stated.
Selection criteria
To ensure quality control, she said, the GEPA would develop through a competitive process, a database of beneficiary exporters of fresh and high value pineapple processors who meet the selection criteria.
She indicated that companies which would be selected must be registered exporters of good standing with the Ghana Export Promotion Authority and must be exporting either fresh or processed pineapple and be within the top 20 pineapple exporters in volume and value.
In addition, they must also have staff strength of not less than 100 workers, with at least 50 per cent being women and must have an annual turnover of not less than US$ one million.
Background
In the late 1980s and 1990s, exports of fresh pineapples from Ghana began with air-freighted pineapples and by 1993, Ghana had become the third biggest exporter to the EU, contributing about 15,000 metric tonnes with smallholders contributing about 50 per cent of the export volume.
The industry experienced growth from 1994 to 2004 at a cumulative annual growth of 172 per cent and this resulted in increased market share of fresh pineapples in Europe from seven to eight per cent in 1999 to 10 per cent in 2004.
However, the smooth cayenne variety which had been widely produced and exported from Ghana since the 1980s, was abandoned by farmers as a result of varietal shift to an increasing high demand for the MD2 pineapple variety by importers in the EU in 2005.
As a result of this shift in market demand for MD2, Ghana has seen a decline in volume of exports.
It is for his reason that the GEPA is relaunching the smooth cayenne variety to increase the country’s pineapple production volumes.— GB