By Razak Baba
A Senior Research Scientist at the Crops Research Institute of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR, Dr. Michael Kwabena Osei has proposed the establishment of the Ghana Horticulture Development Authority.
This, he said, will help develop a formidable voice for actors in the horticulture industry.
Dr. Osei was speaking at a forum in Kumasi organized by HortiFresh West Africa for leaders of key horticulture value chains like pineapple, banana, yams, onions and tomatoes.
The HortiFresh West Africa Close Out Stakeholders forum in Kumasi brought together researchers and vegetable sector players in the country together to touch base and share ongoing research interventions to ease prevalent situations that challenge the horticulture sector. The forum was used to address research gaps as well as discover possible solutions to tackle some concerns of the sector.
It was under the theme, “Sustaining The Gains of the Competitive Fruits and Vegetables Sector To Improve Regional Trade”.
HortiFresh is a programme supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands which has prioritized commercial agriculture in its strategic plan of moving from aid to trade.
The programme’s mission is to establish a sustainable and internationally competitive fruit and vegetable sector that contributes to economic growth, food and nutrition security in Ghana and Ivory Coast.
In Ghana, attention has been given to the fruit and vegetable sectors.
Discussions at the forum identified the lack of pack houses, storage and irrigation facilities as well as direct government funding for research work as major setbacks in the horticulture sector.
The Programme Manager of HortiFresh West Africa, Mrs. Sheila Assibey-Yeboah expressed gratitude to the development partners and hoped actors in the fruits and vegetable sector would consolidate the gains made to enhance prospects in the sector.
She emphasized the need for ”disease and insect infestation control measures in the horticulture sector to enable the country to produce improved yields to meet international standards”.
