Seminar on organic farming potential and fair trade held

Accra, Oct. 10, GNA - The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and the Federation of German Industries (BDI), have held a day's information semi= nar to raise the awareness of Ghanaian agro-producers on organic and fair trade markets in Europe and the US. The seminar on the theme: 93Organic Agriculture and Fair Trade: Marke= t Prospects and Standards," also seeks to provide the producers basic knowledge on the most important standards and concepts. The Seminar also highlighted the fast growth and business potential of organic and fair trade markets in Europe and the US and the social and environmental benefits to Ghana's development.

Addressing the opening session in Accra, Nana Owusu-Afari, President o= f the AGI, said the awareness among agro-producers on organic agriculture and fair trade markets across Europe and the USA was quite low and hence the seminar to provide basic knowledge on the most important standards and concepts regarding organic agriculture.

He said although there were companies engaged in organic and fair trad= e exports in Ghana, there was still little knowledge and awareness of these two related concepts of sustainable agriculture and agro-processing in Ghana. He called on small scale agro-processing companies to explore the commercial opportunities in the emerging and growing market for organic foods all over the world.

Mr. Thomas Baier, an International Expert on Organic Farming, said the huge potential of organic farming was not yet recognized because the structures to make this possible had not been put in place. He said the absence of certifications and standards whose differences and benefits were not always clear to Ghanaian producers was a critical missing link in the promotion of organic farming.

Mr Baier said organic farming grew from 11 million hectares in 1999 to 37.2 million hectares in 2009, mainly on concerns about producing food soundly, food security and the unsustainable nature of traditional farming methods. "There is the high expectation that the exorbitant growth rate would= be maintained in the coming years as demand for sound and environmentally friendly production continues," he added.