RIU-supported Campaign offers relief to 'desperate' Ghanaian fruit exporters
24 May 2011
Tweet
Tropigha Farms Ltd operates a fruit farm in the Volta region of Ghana on which they grow papaya and pineapple for the fresh export market. Papaya is grown in in plantations and crop protection products, including Campaign, are applied using air-assisted sprayers, commonly seen in European apple orchards.
In recent years mealy bug has become a major pest of papaya in Ghana. A biological control agent, tradename Campaign, based on the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae and active against this pest, has recently been launched with the assistance of RIU and is now on sale in Ghana.
Many of the RIU-assisted programmes are designed to support small-scale farmers and overcome issues associated with access to input and output markets and awareness of improved practices. The picture above shows how Campaign can work at scale too. Real IPM, the company behind Campaign, has a great deal of experince of working with large-scale commercial growers in Kenya. One of challenges DFID set RIU was to acheve impact at scale. In many cases RIU initiatives have achieved this through working with large numbers of small-scale farmers. Where appropriate, however, RIU initiatives also work with the large-scale commercial sector. Such inteventions can create and safeguard jobs and help to grow private sector companies, creating wealth, increasing tax revenues and contributing to the balance of trade.
Helmut Lutz, a Director of Tropigha Farms Ltd in Ghana who was one of the first to buy Campaign, commented:
According to a World Bank report papaya grown in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire is superior to that grown in Brazil which currently dominates the European market.
In 2009 Mr Anthony Sikpa, president of the Federation of Associations of Ghana Exporters (FAGE), noted that Ghana was endowed with all the natural conditions that could make her become a major producer and exporter of the tropical fruit, if appreciable practices were applied. He said Ghana's geographical location offers a favourable climate for the production of the commodity, while Ghana's proximity to Europe was also a logistical advantage over major producing countries such as Brazil and Ecuador, who control 65% and 10% of the European market, respectively.
In 2008 the 15 core member states of the European Union imported 35,750 metric tonnes of papaya worth 53 million Euros. Out of this, Ghana's market share is estimated at around 3%.
Tropigha Farms Ltd
Tropigha Farms has grown from a small Papaya production and export enterprise with an initial workforce of 15 in 1999 to range among the largest Papaya production farms in Ghana at 250 hectares. The company supplies the German market with Ghanaian fruits.
Located in Gbefi in the Kpando district of the Volta Region, it now has 100 employees, 95% coming from the surrounding villages.
Starting with an annual export output of 134 tonnes in its first year of production, Tropigha Farms Ltd has increased its export output of Papaya to Germany by the end of 2006 to over 650 tonnes.
Helmut Lutz joined forces with a German company in the last quarter of 2004. Since, Tropigha Farms Ltd. operates in partnership with Schumacher GmbH, a company with a long-standing experience in the fruit export business.
In the face of rising production costs and the unstable pricing index in the international fruit business, Tropigha projects structured expansion and lateral diversification with emphasis on produce of maximum quality. Through its annual three-month practical training programme for Ghanaian and German agricultural students, Tropigha also makes efforts to bring people and experiences from both cultural backgrounds together.
24 May 2011
Tweet
Tropigha Farms Ltd operates a fruit farm in the Volta region of Ghana on which they grow papaya and pineapple for the fresh export market. Papaya is grown in in plantations and crop protection products, including Campaign, are applied using air-assisted sprayers, commonly seen in European apple orchards.
In recent years mealy bug has become a major pest of papaya in Ghana. A biological control agent, tradename Campaign, based on the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae and active against this pest, has recently been launched with the assistance of RIU and is now on sale in Ghana.
Many of the RIU-assisted programmes are designed to support small-scale farmers and overcome issues associated with access to input and output markets and awareness of improved practices. The picture above shows how Campaign can work at scale too. Real IPM, the company behind Campaign, has a great deal of experince of working with large-scale commercial growers in Kenya. One of challenges DFID set RIU was to acheve impact at scale. In many cases RIU initiatives have achieved this through working with large numbers of small-scale farmers. Where appropriate, however, RIU initiatives also work with the large-scale commercial sector. Such inteventions can create and safeguard jobs and help to grow private sector companies, creating wealth, increasing tax revenues and contributing to the balance of trade.
Helmut Lutz, a Director of Tropigha Farms Ltd in Ghana who was one of the first to buy Campaign, commented:
"Mealy bug is our number one problem at present. We export our fresh papaya to Germany and the number of crop protection products we can use are very limited because of the risk of having residues on the fruit on arrival in Germany. We have tried many strategies including washing the mealy bug off with water as well as soap. However ,we are still loosing thousands of Euros worth of crop to this pest. We are delighted to try Campaign and if it works on our plantations then this will bring much relief to papaya growers who are getting quite desperate. A major benefit we see of Campaign is that it is a biological control agent, has no environmental risks and leaves no residues."Professor John Ofosu-Anim, Head of Department of Crop Science at University of Ghana, said tests had shown that Campaign was at least as effective as conventional chemical treatments for controlling mealy bugs. He said field trials conducted had concluded that the product destroyed about 95 per cent of mealy bugs.
According to a World Bank report papaya grown in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire is superior to that grown in Brazil which currently dominates the European market.
In 2009 Mr Anthony Sikpa, president of the Federation of Associations of Ghana Exporters (FAGE), noted that Ghana was endowed with all the natural conditions that could make her become a major producer and exporter of the tropical fruit, if appreciable practices were applied. He said Ghana's geographical location offers a favourable climate for the production of the commodity, while Ghana's proximity to Europe was also a logistical advantage over major producing countries such as Brazil and Ecuador, who control 65% and 10% of the European market, respectively.
In 2008 the 15 core member states of the European Union imported 35,750 metric tonnes of papaya worth 53 million Euros. Out of this, Ghana's market share is estimated at around 3%.
Tropigha Farms Ltd
Tropigha Farms has grown from a small Papaya production and export enterprise with an initial workforce of 15 in 1999 to range among the largest Papaya production farms in Ghana at 250 hectares. The company supplies the German market with Ghanaian fruits.
Located in Gbefi in the Kpando district of the Volta Region, it now has 100 employees, 95% coming from the surrounding villages.
Starting with an annual export output of 134 tonnes in its first year of production, Tropigha Farms Ltd has increased its export output of Papaya to Germany by the end of 2006 to over 650 tonnes.
Helmut Lutz joined forces with a German company in the last quarter of 2004. Since, Tropigha Farms Ltd. operates in partnership with Schumacher GmbH, a company with a long-standing experience in the fruit export business.
In the face of rising production costs and the unstable pricing index in the international fruit business, Tropigha projects structured expansion and lateral diversification with emphasis on produce of maximum quality. Through its annual three-month practical training programme for Ghanaian and German agricultural students, Tropigha also makes efforts to bring people and experiences from both cultural backgrounds together.
| Key player in bio-pesticide control in Ghana looks at the advantages and challenges of the approach. July 2010 (5:05) |  |
