Ghana's signatory to EPA will increase local fruit exports
President of the African Pineapples and Bananas Association, George Kporye, says Ghana’s interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU is the reason most local businesses especially those in the banana and pineapple business, are surviving today.
According to him the African producers were facing unequal competition with Latin American producers on the EU market because they export in larger volumes and therefore, signing fully the EPA with the EU will allow some leverage for African countries.
Ghana’s export is about 8,000 million Euros to EU market alone. The Head of the EU delegation to Ghana, Claude Maerten, said there is the need for Ghana to honour fully its part of the agreement to ensure a mutually beneficial partnership.
According to him, since January 2008 when Ghana initialed the deal, the EU went ahead to unilaterally implement the agreement by granting total access duty free to Ghanaian exporters. All that is left is for Ghana to respect its rights and obligations under the agreement.
Meanwhile, Maerten said the European Commission had made an amendment proposal to the agreement, which will now mean that Ghana and other African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) countries have up to January 2014 to sign fully the agreement.
Under the agreement Ghana can export about 300 million Euros (GH¢600 million) more to Europe. Meanwhile, the Government of Ghana wants to look at the details and the possible impact of the EPA on the economy as well as ensure that all parties involved are satisfied before finally committing itself totally to the agreement.
African Pineapples and Bananas Association said, with current membership from Ghana, Ivory Coast and Cameroon, the aims to enhance their position on the European market as far as pineapples and bananas exports are concern.
They however account for 65 per cent (360,000 tons) of African bananas export to the EU and about 70 per cent (65,000 tons) of African pineapples export in 2010.
Accra, May 17, 2012
Government’s management of revenue generated from the country’s oil and gas resources will today come under intense scrutiny ... 