By Buertey Francis BORYOR
The Horticulture Business Platform (HBP), a new membership platform set up with the support of the Ghana Netherlands Business and Culture Council (GNBCC), has held its maiden Mini Fruit and Vegetables fair at Adenta, Frafraha Community Senior High School in Accra.
The HBP platform is to bring together all horticulture sector players in the country and assist in the sector’s promotion through regular networking activities, fruit and vegetables fairs and skill development seminars.
Its activities are being aided by the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands through a partnership agreement with IDH – a social enterprise that works with businesses, financial institutions, governments and civil society organisations to create value for people and the planet.
The fruit and vegetables fair is an initiative of the HBP, aimed at bringing together local producers and allowing them access to a greater range of wholesalers and retailers. It witnessed 25 fruit and vegetables vendors exhibiting and offering for sale their products and services to the public.
The event also saw a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing between the HBP and its partners, as well as a tour of the Dutch embassy-funded Adenta Community Garden by the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, Liesje Schreinemacher, who is on a two-day working visit to Ghana.
Her visit is aimed at strengthening economic and bilateral relations between the county and The Netherlands, among other things.
Ms. Schreinemacher, speaking during the opening ceremony, noted that The Netherlands’ relationship with Ghana has entered a new phase, with a modern agenda focused on cooperation, trade and investment.
“The new phase is an agenda for the future, in which we will pursue shared interests and mutual benefits. For us, horticulture is an excellent example of a shared interest. It is definitely something our two countries have in common. We both have large agricultural sectors. We already have a long and successful track record of investing in your agricultural and horticultural sectors – and of unlocking opportunities,” she added.
She further noted that despite being a small country, The Netherlands has long been the second-largest agricultural exporter in the world; achieving this through constant innovation and optimistic entrepreneurship. She added that its relationship with Ghana is an important part of this.
Moreover, she expressed The Netherlands’ commitment to stimulating innovation and sustainability, particularly in sectors such as horticulture and cocoa, by supporting initiatives aimed at enhancing production methods and expanding market access for farmers.
As part of her visit, she will also participate in a cocoa lunch with Dutch businesses hosted by Cargill in Tema; and will be hosted at the residence of the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, Jeroen Verheul, for a reception with the Dutch business community in the country, among others.
She will finally visit Meridian Port Services (MPS), where she will learn about the state-of -the-art container port terminal and its operations.
HBP’s Senior Project Manager and Coordinator, Barnabas Apom, addressing media after the event noted that the Dutch government over the years has supported several horticultural projects in the country – citing the five-year HortiFresh programme succeeded by the 5-year GhanaVeg initiative implemented from 2013 to 2017 as examples. The projects, according to him, are aimed at developing a sustainable vegetable sector in Ghana.
He added that: “We have about 200 companies that have signed up to be part of the HBP. For the past one year, we have gone around the country to do sensitisation, brought together all the businesses that are within the horticulture sector and formed the Horticulture Business Platform. Our objective is to drive activities of the HBP based on the interest of members”.
He further mentioned that businesses in the country’s horticulture space face challenges such as lack of access to funds, markets and requisite production skills. However, by joining the HBP, they can receive support from the Dutch government to expand their businesses.
“Currently, we have the Dutch supporting us – but we also want to expand in the future and work with other international donor partners,” he added.
The event was graced by representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Dutch government.
