Ghanaian fruits and vegetable farmers can now export their produce into European markets after a ban imposed in 2015 was lifted by the European Union.
The lifting of the ban was announced by the EU delegation to Ghana in a statement after series of appeals from Ghanaian farmers who were unable to secure good markets for their fruits and vegetables.
The ban was imposed after the discovery of fruit flies and other pests in their exported produce.
This year, China also banned the import of fruits and vegetables from Ghana for similar reasons.
A delegation from the European Union visited Ghana in September giving the government of Ghana the opportunity to convince the EU to reverse the ban.
The EU statement said “Since the beginning of the ban in October 2015, Ghanaian authorities have taken significant corrective measures to improve the inspection and control system for plant health at exit points, in particular at Kotoka International Airport. The European Commission congratulates Ghana for reaching this important milestone and encourages Ghana to consolidate the upgraded system and to continue further improvements in the phytosanitary certification system to obtain full compliance with the EU phytosanitary requirements.”
Farmers can now export five Ghanaian plants (chilli pepper, bottle gourds, luffa gourds, bitter gourds and eggplants) from January 1, 2018.
Source: Africafeeds.com
