A researcher at the University of Ghana Soil and Irrigation Research Centre, Dr. Ken Okae Fenning warned Ghana could be banned anew if farmers fail to adhere to standards. His call follows the lifting of a ban on five plant commodities (chilli pepper, bottle gourds, luffa gourds, bitter gourds and eggplants) from Ghana to the EU market. Vegetable farmers in Ghana producing for export have been urged to comply with quality and safety standards in line with international market requirements.
Based on this, from 1st January 2018, Ghanaian farmers will be able to resume exports of all plant commodities to the European Union (EU) market. However, according to a myjoyonline.com article, Dr. Fenning said efforts by government to prevent another ban will not yield results if farmers are not schooled on international best practices. The researcher recommended that farmers be schooled on how to deal with pesticides in a more responsible manner, making use of the Integrated Pest Management and Good Agriculture Practices (GAP).
