A total of 224 on-farm housing units have been inaugurated at Kasunya Asutsuare in the Shai Osudoku District to provide accommodation for farmers working on the plantation of Golden Exotic Limited (GEL), a banana exporting company.
Funded by the European Union (EU) in partnership with the government at a cost of €5.918 million, the project design is focused on sustainability and included energy-efficient electricity systems, water treatment plant and a community centre.
It forms part of the Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM) being implemented by the EU with support from Ghana totalling €7.1 million, aimed at improving the competitiveness of the banana export industry.
The Volta River Estates Limited (VREL), is the beneficiary of the remaining funds to support the company produce high quality organic certified compost to be able to trade their bananas as a premium organic produce.
Speaking at the inauguration yesterday, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, said currently banana was the most exported horticultural crop in terms of volume and value, rising from 32,240 tonnes in 2007 to 108,379 tonnes in 2021.
The BAM support, she explained was to enable the two banana producing companies to invest more
to protect efficiency and productivity in their respective operations and reduce cost of production to improve competitiveness in the EU market.
Without the support, she stated that, there would possibly have been lay-off of workers, and significant number of families affected by the income and job losses.
She said, when fully allocated to the about 900 farmers expected to benefit, the housing units was expected to impact positively on the company’s labour productivity and help reduce its operational cost associated with daily transport to and from the plantation for workers, and the cost of fuel and maintenance of more than 60 buses that conveys farmers from as far as Asutsuare and Atimpoku to the plantations on a daily basis.
Per the terms of the project, Mrs Asiamah-Adjei noted that, the housing units had been leased to GEL for 25 years, subject to renewal and was responsible for its management, maintenance and repairs.
Emphasising the EU market’s continuous support for Ghana’s banana exports, she said the government was focused on working closely with the private sector, especially exporters, to take advantage of the various market access opportunities offered by the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU; the Trade Partnership Agreement with the UK, among others to ensure export diversification, and innovations in the development of Ghana’s export sector.
Irchad Razaaly, EU Ambassador to Ghana, highlighted the significance of the partnership in empowering local communities.
“These housing units are a testament to our commitment to uplifting farmers and strengthening the agricultural sector.
They will not only provide a safe and comfortable space for our farmers but also enable them to lead better lives and contribute more effectively to food security and sustainable development,” he added.
He stated that, BAM was designed to support the competitiveness of the Ghanaian banana export sector, while ensuring its environmental and socio-economic sustainability in the long run.
Vice President of Compagnie Fruitiere in Ghana (parent company of GEL), Olivier Chassang, said currently, most of the farmers lived 40km away from the plantation, hence the deployment of buses every day to convey them to the plantation.
BY CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS
