Ghana: Calls for government to support pineapple sector
The growers are frustrated by what they say is their sector being stifled by the increasing costs of production and lack of support.
“Production cost - cost of fertilizer, cost of diesel, cost of maintaining our tractors are really escalating”, stated Eric Yamoah Painstil, Farm Manager of Jei River Farms, one of the largest pineapple plantations in Ghana. He says large scale operations are now the only way to turn a profit in the sector.
Jei River Farms is a wholly-owned Ghanaian company producing pineapple for the local and international fresh fruit markets – mainly growing MD2 variety as well as the Smooth Cayenne, Sugar Loaf and Queen Victoria pineapple types.
Last year, the company exported 6,826 metric tons of produce to European markets. A target of 8,000 tons has been set for 2012, which represents over 70 percent of total production; the rest are supplied to local fruit processing companies.
He says, though, that the country's potential in the international marketplace is under threat.
“We are competing with countries like Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico – they are the people who are pushing us out of the market in Europe”.
He says most competitor nations receive considerable support from their governments, making operations much more viable.
“There can be thousands of jobs if the pineapple industry is taken care of”, he said.
Source: ghanaweb.com
