Ghana’s Agribusiness Mission 2007 to the UK

Ghana’s Agribusiness Mission 2007 to the UK

Ghana’s Agribusiness Mission 2007 to UK Kojo Blankson-Wilson • QA/Technical Manager, Leckford Estate-Waitrose Farm • Lead Consultant, Eden Agric Consultancy Services Presents

Ghana’s Agribusiness Mission 2007 to the UK An Overview of the UK Technical Requirements & Marketing Standards for Fruits and Vegetables

Food Safety & Product Quality • Current trends in the fresh produce retailing, regulatory frame works and the EU legislation may be seen as a hindrance to growers and exporters in the developing countries e.g. Ghana, but….. • Attaining the required standards Must be seen as a marketing tool to enter and establish long-term trade with the UK & EU Retailers and Supermarkets.

Food Safety & Product Quality FACT • The UK currently imports about 0.78m metric tonnes of fruits and vegetables from Africa at £495m or $990m . Trend from 1998 to 2005 indicate a steady growth of 1.1% p.a. • The six key players are S. Africa (47%), Egypt (12%) Morocco(8%), Kenya (4%), Ivory Coast (4%) and others (5%). (Source HMRC & DEFRA 2005)

Food Safety & Product Quality UK Food Safety Requirements: FACT • Implementation of Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for primary producers to ensure: • Safe levels of residual Pesticides in the products (MRLs); {Food Safety Act 1990, EFSA Reg. (EC) No.178/2002} • Free of Physical Contamination; e.g. soil, insects, debris etc. • Acceptable levels of Microbiological Contamination (total bacteria count, E.coli (enterobacteriaceae) and Salmonella; Reg (EC) No 2073/2005, Food Hygiene Reg (EC) No 852/2004}

Food Safety & Product Quality UK Fresh Produce Quality Standards: Customer Product Specifications as agreed with the Supplier Vegetables: • Size grading • Maturity stage • Flavour • Texture • Colour • Expected Shelf Life (P + n) P = date of harvest/packing , n = number of days) • Storage temperature and temperature during transport.

Food Safety & Product Quality UK Fresh Produce Quality Standards Fruits: • Brix • pH • Texture • Flavour • Other standards as per the vegetables i.e. size, maturity stage, etc

Food Safety & Product Quality Product Presentation: • All aspects of Customer appeal Product Traceability: • The Due Diligence origination controls on the product

Compliance & Verification Compliance: (Non-govenermental policy influencers) • Certification of compliance by 3rd Party Accreditation Body following a site inspection. • EUREGAP introduced by the European Retailers Group (Supermarkets). • EFSIS - ( European Food Safety Inspection Services), BRC Global Food Standards Certification. • Waitrose sponsored LEAF Marque (Linking Environment And Farming). • Tesco’s Nature’s Choice (Red Tractor Logo). • Marks & Spencer’s (Field to Fork).

Compliance & Verification Verification: (Statutory) • Fresh produce imported into the UK (EU) undergoes Phytosanitary Inspection; This can include - • Checks for the Certificate accompanying the products. • Checks to ensure products match with documentation. • Checks to ensure products are free of harmful chemicals and organisms.

What is stopping the Ghanaian Producer/Exporter from entering this market? • Lack of National equivalent of International Food Safety & Quality Standards. • Lack of accredited laboratories in Ghana for the analysis of Pesticides Residues, Microbial loading and other contaminants. • Inadequate national control of available pesticides and their distribution. • Differences between the National and International legislation on pesticides available to the growers/producers.

What is stopping the Ghanaian Producer/Exporter from entering this market? • Inadequate logistical capabilities and undeveloped supply chain organisations to meet timely buyer/customer demands. • The cost of implementing the systems and procedures to ensure compliance. • Cost of accreditation and the cost of on-going surveillance inspections. (Average cost of certification $2,000 - $2,500) • Inconsistent supply of the volumes and the quality standards required by the supermarkets due to the rudimentary level of production. • Inadequate supply chain organisations and market development. • Inadequate operational managers and technologists with strong hands-on experience.

What is stopping the Ghanaian Producer/Exporter from entering this market? FACT Less than 30 exporting companies or groups are currently EurepGAP accredited in Ghana !

Current Keys to Resolving Constraints A handful of government and non-governmental agencies providing technical support for producers and exporters in Ghana These agencies are -

Current Keys to Resolving Constraints • Plant Protection & Regulatory Services Department (PPRSD) • Ministry of Food & Agriculture (MOFA) • Ghana Standards Board (GSB) • German Technical Assistance Agency (GTZ) • Technoserve • AgroEco • Trade & Investment for Competitive Export Economy (TIPCEE) • SGS – Ghana • West Africa Fair Trade (WAFF)

Keys to Resolving Constraints Considering the number of certified producers/exporters in Ghana……………, Why are less than 30 growers accredited ?- it seems there is the lack of exponential growth.

Introducing EACS Team BACKGROUND OF TEAM MEMBERS: EACS & Associates – is the consultancy division of the Eden Agricultural Projects Limited), a multifaceted team of Agro Technologists, made up of; • Kojo Blankson-Wilson (Horticultural Agronomist – Specialist in Food Safety & Quality Systems and 3rd Party Accreditations) • Colin Cass (International Food Chain Technology – Specialist in Food Safety, Factory Practice and Assessments) • Grace Bolfrey-Arku (Ruderal Plant Scientist – Specialist in Crop Protection Science) • Simon Hendry (Agronomist – Specialist in Farm Development & International Produce Marketing) • Sarah Pettitt (Agronomist – Specialist in Farm Development Programmes) A combine experience of over nine decades in the European Fresh Produce Industry and in the African Agric/Horticulture Sector.

Eden Agric/Horticultural Consultancy Services (EACS) & Associates • EACS team members currently working for or with companies as leaders in their fields with up-to-date information. • EACS has the resources and the technical know-how required to Help You become compliant to the EU food safety and quality standards. • EACS hopes to spearhead the first in a truly exponential Agric-consultancy because team members are hands-on and have accomplished major successes with companies in the UK, USA, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ethiopia and in Thailand.

Eden Agric/Horticultural Consultancy Services (EACS) CORE SERVICES • Design and implementation of Food Safety & Quality Management Systems for Fresh Produce growers/exporters towards compliance with regulatory bodies such as the BRC Global Food Standards, EFSIS, LEAF Marque or the Organic Status. • Design and implementation of HACCP (Primary Producers and Food Processors). • Design and implementation of Product Traceability Systems.

Eden Agric/Horticultural Consultancy Services (EACS) CORE SERVICES • Post-harvest cold chain systems and product packaging. • Auditing and improvement analysis of Food Safety & Quality Management Systems. • Supplier auditing for manufacturers & distributors. • Pre-evaluation audits. • Food safety and hygiene inspections (for manufacturers and food processors). • Staff and management training in the areas mentioned above.

“Think Accreditation, Think of an Untapped Global Market, Think Eden” COMPELLING FACTORS • International accredited bodies already established in some African countries and making in-roads in Ghana; e.g. LEAF Marque and EFSIS (BRC). • Establishment of National Controls in line with those established in E.U member states; GhanaGAP being launched by the MCA.

“Think Accreditation, Think of an Untapped Global Market, Think Eden” COMPELLING FACTORS • The need to secure, compete and expand in the international market share, and to reduce poverty; the main objective of Ghana’s MCA. • The advantage of the proximity to the E.U market over the established African and S.American producers.

Conclusions • Public and non-governmental policy makers and influencers are there to assure food safety and reduce poor quality i.e. products that could lead to an outbreak of illness. • Retailers want to make money- • To do this on a sustainable basis Retailers need to assure their own brand (Waitrose, M&S, Tesco, JS etc,) demonstrates due diligence and needs to have mechanisms for doing this. Part of this is about being able to trace the source to the supplier and the farm where the produce came from.

Conclusions • How Can You ensure that you have access to this market worth Millions of pounds FACT - You need to - • Meet or exceed the standards and activities of your competitors. • Demonstrate a new approach to the market place which underpins your commitment to getting it right. • Plan to not only make up the time lost to the competition, but put in place a strategy that will deliver sustained growth in this market through giving the customer what they want.

Ghana’s Agribusiness Mission 2007 to UK Kojo Blankson-WilsonQA/Technical Manager, Leckford Estate-Waitrose Farm • Lead Consultant, Eden Agric Consultancy Services • Contact – email – kb.wilson@edenagricconsultancy.eu kojoblanskon@leckfordestate.co.uk Mobile: 07764674234 Tel: 01264811320

Ghana’s Agribusiness Mission 2007 to the UK