AGI Builds Capacity of Agro-Producers
12 October 2011
The President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Nana Owusu-Afari has observed that awareness among Ghanaian agro-producers on organic agriculture and fair trade markets across Europe and the USA was quite low.
The AGI President has, therefore, called on companies plying the trade to acquire basic knowledge on the most important standards and concepts regarding organic agriculture to keep their businesses growing.
He said although there were companies engaged in organic and fair trade exports in Ghana, there was still little knowledge and awareness of these two related concepts of sustainable agriculture and agro-processing in Ghabna.
Nana Owusu-Afari was speaking at a seminar in Accra, themed "Organic Agriculture and Fair Trade: Market Prospects and Standards", which seeks to provide the producers basic knowledge on the most important standards and concepts.
The seminar also highlighted the fast growth and business potential of organic and fair trade markets in Europe and the US and the social and environmental benefits to Ghana's development. It was organised by the AGI and the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
Mr Thomas Baier, an International Expert on organic Farming, said the huge potential of organic farming was not yet recognized because the structures to make this possible had not been put in place. He said the absence of certifications and standards whose differences and benefits were not always clear to Ghanaian producers was a critical missing link in the promotion of organic farming.
Mr Baier said organic farming grew from 11 million hectares in 1999 to 37.2 million hectares in 2009, mainly on concerns about producing food soundly, food security and the unsustainable nature of traditional farming methods.
"There is the high expectation that the exorbitant growth rate would be maintained in the coming years as demand for sound and environmentally friendly production continues," he added.
He called on small scale agro-processing companies to explore the commercial opportunities in the emerging and growing market for organic foods all over the world.