By Hafsa Obeng / Christabel Kporvie
Accra, Sept. 16, GNA – Stakeholders in Ghana’s horticulture sector have called for increased investment in the industry to create jobs, support tourism and boost export earnings.
They said horticulture went beyond the cultivation of flowers and ornamental plants, offering opportunities in production, irrigation, landscaping, packaging, processing, logistics, marketing, research and exports.
The stakeholders made the call at a horticulture roundtable held as part of the 14th Ghana Garden and Flower Show, in Accra.
The flower show was on the theme: “The Horticulture Value Chain: A Pipeline for Economic Growth.”
Madam Sandra Thompson, Special Aide to the Governor and Advisor on Corporate Governance and Stakeholder Management at the Bank of Ghana, said Ghana needed to view horticulture as a broad economic sector rather than simply the cultivation of flowers and plants.
She said every flower and plant represented a value chain involving farmers, nursery operators, agro-input suppliers, horticultural technicians, financial institutions, logistics providers, marketers and international buyers.
Madam Thompson said the sector could create employment for young people and women while supporting tourism through landscaping, gardens and green spaces.
She said Ghana had the potential to become a horticultural hub for West Africa but needed stronger investment in irrigation, climate-smart production, research, finance, infrastructure, certification and market access.
She also called for stronger collaboration among farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, policymakers and exporters to turn the sectors potential into sustainable businesses, jobs and export opportunities.
Madam Thompson said horticulture could provide opportunities for professionals in technology, irrigation, logistics, finance, digital marketing and other areas, making it a wider source of employment than farming alone.
Mr Rashid Raymond Kramer, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), said Ghana’s flower exports increased from $5.6 million to $7.9 million last year.
He said Ghana should focus on its competitive advantage in tropical plants and foliage instead of competing directly with established rose producers such as Kenya.
According to him, Ghana’s tropical climate allowed the country to produce greens and other plant materials throughout the year, creating opportunities in European markets where winter limits production.
Mr Kramer said the country could also explore markets for plant cuttings and seedlings, as well as develop indigenous plant species and medicinal plants into premium export products.
He said interest from Dutch investors in Ghana’s floriculture sector demonstrated the potential for further investment.
Mr Kramer urged stakeholders to develop the domestic market alongside exports, saying greater use of flowers and plants by institutions and businesses could create steady demand and strengthen the industry.
He said horticulture could contribute to export diversification by adding value to non-traditional products and creating new sources of foreign exchange.
Dr Michael Kwabena Osei, the Principal Research Scientist and Head of the Kwadaso Research Station of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), said the establishment of a dedicated horticultural section would strengthen research and innovation in floriculture and ornamental plants.
He said Ghana already exported live trees, plants and ornamental foliage but continued to import cut flowers and other floricultural products, creating an opportunity for local production and import substitution.
Dr Osei said research should focus on developing locally adapted and heat-tolerant varieties of cut flowers, roses, foliage and ornamental plants.
He said the research should also cover affordable production media, irrigation systems and post-harvest technologies to improve product quality and extend vase life for export.
Dr Osei said horticulture also contributed to urban beautification, tourism, wellbeing and green jobs, with opportunities for young people and women across areas such as nursery establishment, propagation and plant production.
He called for stronger partnerships between CSIR, private businesses and industry platforms to commercialise research, improve local production and support the growth of the sector.
He said developing horticulture could support income generation, job creation, import substitution and export diversification, adding that, “green means business, beauty and more.”
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah
Reporters: Hafsa Obeng / Christabel Kporvie
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