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GAFEA begun in 1989 with five (5) individuals as a private sector member-based organisation that groups and represents the interest of Ghanaian foodstuff exporters.
It was established with the broad goal of advocating for policy and strategic infrastructural interventions for enhancing the business viability of the Ghanaian food export enterprises.
The membership of the association are producers of foodstuff such as yam, oil palm, gari, plantain, cassava for export either in its fresh or processed state.
In an exclusive interview with host of Atinka FM’s AM Drive with host Kaakyire, treasurer for GAFEA said the use of the chemicals shorten the lifespan of the produce.
According to Prince Kwabena Kwakye, some of the produce, due to the excessive agrochemical content, get rotten even before they get to the final export destination.
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He cited an example of a business man whose three containers were rejected in the United States because they had decayed when they arrived.
“We are seated on a time bomb as we consume whatever we export out there. So if the agro chemical produced yam was rejected out there because the produce had gone bad, then we are heading towards doom. Gone were the days where yam could go days without decaying but that isn’t the case anymore,” Prince Kwabena Kwakye explained.
Asked what the association has achieved over the years, Prince Kwabena Kwakye noted that apart from the foreign exchange, the association has also contributed to providing meaningful jobs to the youth of Ghana.
He added that the GAFEA engages over 1000 out-growers who provide the foodstuff needed for processing before they are exported.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu