Ghana stands to lose approximately $50 million in revenue if the European Union (EU) enforces a ban on the export of vegetables and other produce from the country, due to the continued devastation caused by illegal mining activities.
The Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association of Ghana (VEPEAG) has expressed concerns over the severe consequences a potential EU ban would have on their industry.
In October 2014, the EU imposed a three-year ban on the import of gourds and Asian vegetables, including chillies and aubergines, to the union from Ghana, citing concerns over pest infestations that posed risks to the EU’s ecosystem.
This resulted in a revenue loss of approximately $30 million for Ghana. After an assessment by the EU’s Food and Veterinary Office, the ban was lifted. However, the Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association fears a repeat of this situation due to the ongoing pollution of water bodies used for irrigation, a consequence of illegal mining activities.
In an interview with the Association’s President, Dr. Felix Mawuli Kamasah urged the government to act swiftly to prevent further damage to the sector.
“We want to tell the government that they should quickly come out with a policy in terms of standard and quality and the measures we can put in place. This will enable us to secure what we are doing. Because when the ban is enforced, a lot of people will lose their jobs because most of the youth have a lot of interest in vegetable farming or agribusiness. With little knowledge we have, if the ban is enforced, what we are doing, we are looking around 50 million dollars which will be lost, “he noted.
VEPEAG also reaffirmed their commitment to join Organized Labour by the end of September in a demonstration against the government if no decisive policy is introduced to tackle the illegal mining menace.
“If the president does not come out with a policy by the close of the month, if we don’t hear anything from him, we will join the Labour people. This is because we work closely with the labour. We will join them for the demonstration because what we are telling the president is that he should come out like what he did to the COVID-19 issue.