From January 2019 onward, all vegetable and fruit exporters will be required to register to an association before being allowed to export produce from the country, says Ghana’s Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Department (PPRSD).
This is to keep all the exporters in check to ensure that they are doing the right thing and also ensure that the country is not banned from exporting to Europe again. This was disclosed by the Deputy Director at the PPRSD, Mr Prudence Attipoe, at the HortiFresh Business Platform Meeting which was held on November 30 in Accra.
The EU, in October 2014, banned the export of gourds and Asian vegetables such as chillies, aubergine and other vegetables from Ghana to its markets based on suspicions that the farm produce was infested with pests.
The ban resulted in the country losing more than US$ 30 million in export revenue from five selected vegetables banned from entering the EU market. The ban was overturned in January 2018 after the EU was satisfied with the corrective measures that were taken by the country.
Source: graphic.com.gh