By Regina Agana Akantiba
Stakeholders in the fruits and vegetables industry have called for more support and proper investment into the sector to increase local production. Speaking at the fifth edition of this year’s fruits and vegetables fair in Accra, the Director of Crop Services at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Seth Osei Akoto called for joint efforts from the Private Sector Investment and Policy Direction from the government to improve the fruits and vegetable industry.
Mr. Akoto said for the past few years, the sector has proven to be the game-changer by contributing immensely to the country’s economic growth as well as providing job opportunities for the youth. Regina Agana Akanteba who was at the fair reports that
Hortifresh Ghana and the Ghana Chamber Agribusiness collaborated to organize this year’s Fruits and Vegetables Fair. It is aimed at raising the quality of fruits and vegetables produced in Ghana.
Speaking at the fair, the Director of Crop Services at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Seth Osei Akoto called for collaborative efforts from both the private and public sector to invest more into the fruits and vegetables industry to boost local production.
He said the government will open up opportunities for a new module to train the youth and entrepreneurs to produce more fruits and vegetables for local consumption and export.
The Deputy Head of Mission at the Netherlands Embassy, Katja Lasseur, said measures have been put in place to address the local production and consumption gap of fruit and vegetables. ”This will ensure growth and competitiveness of the sector to enable it to serve the domestic market and beyond”, he stated.
Some participants at the fair shared their expectations of the 2021 Fruit & Vegetables Fair with GBC News where they remained optimistic of a successful program.
The annual Fruit and Vegetable Fair is a 3-day event which provides a platform for players in the horticulture sector to exhibit their products and services
