Horticulture can create jobs, businesses and export opportunities for Ghana – Prof Naana Jane

Vice President Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called for greater investment in Ghana’s horticulture sector, saying it can create jobs, build businesses and open new export opportunities for the country.

She said the sector must be viewed beyond the beauty of gardens and flowers, highlighting the broader economic activities that support the industry.

“Behind what we see are growers, skills, services, markets, and livelihoods,” she said.

Prof Naana Jane made the remarks on Friday when she opened the 14th Ghana Garden and Flower Show in Accra.

According to her, the opportunity lies in helping horticultural enterprises grow into sustainable businesses that can employ others, supply larger markets and compete internationally.

“The opportunity is to help more of these enterprises develop into sustainable businesses that can employ others, supply larger markets, and, where possible, compete beyond Ghana,” she said.

She pointed to Kenya as an example of what Ghana can achieve, insisting that the country has the potential to match or surpass such achievements.

“We know we can do same, if not more,” she said.

However, she stressed that developing the sector requires attention to the entire value chain, particularly because horticultural products can be highly perishable.

“Horticulture is demanding because much of what it produces sometimes is perishable,” she said.

She called for reliable transport, storage, quality standards, finance and access to markets to prevent value from being lost.

Under the government’s Feed Ghana Programme, she noted that vegetables are among the priority crops, with opportunities to expand production through irrigation, improved inputs, greenhouse production and better market access.

She also highlighted the establishment of farmer service centres across the country, which are expected to provide producers with export support, inputs, machinery, and market linkages.

Prof Naana Jane said horticulture also presents opportunities for young people by bringing together agriculture, technology, creativity and enterprise.

“The opportunity is not only to encourage young people to grow more, but also to help them to see the businesses they can build around their produce,” she said.

She further linked the growth of horticulture to Ghana’s environmental agenda, including the Tree for Life initiative and efforts to improve green spaces in towns and cities.

“Greening should therefore not be something we consider after development; greening should be part of development itself,” she said.

She urged local authorities, developers and businesses to create demand for green spaces while ensuring Ghanaian producers are equipped to serve the market and pursue export opportunities.

“Green means business,” she said, urging stakeholders to work together to make Ghana greener while creating businesses and livelihoods.

She also called on training institutions, financial institutions, the private sector and industry groups to play their respective roles in building the sector.

“Training institutions can develop the skills the sector needs. Financial institutions can support viable enterprises. The private sector can develop markets, and movements such as this one can continue bringing the industry together and making its possibilities visible,” she said.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.