The European Union has announced a temporary ban on vegetable imports from Ghana after some were found to fall below EU quality standards, according to a report from Ghanaweb.
Ghanaian farmers have faced bans from the EU in the past, most recently in May for citrus due to the presence of angular leaf spot disease. Prior to that, mangoes were forbidden entry due to an infestation of fruit flies.
Ghana's deputy minister of finance and economic planning, Fiifi Kwetey, said that the government was putting measures in place to address the issue.
'As a country, we will from time to time have some of these concerns,' he said. 'I don’t think it is the first time we have had those concerns. We are clearly going to take them on board in order to ensure that if we are going to have sustainable exports, we cannot afford to compromise on quality.'
He added that the government would ensure farmers were given the support and equipment necessary to guarantee that these minimum standards were met.
Ghana is the largest exporter of yams to the EU, with other vegetable exports including chillies, okra, aubergines and marrows.
One of the main challenges facing Ghanaian vegetable exports is in repackaging the produce, a process that is done in open air at Kotoka airport and can lead to a reduction in quality and shelf-life.
