Veep inaugurates Fruit Depot at Tema Harbour

Tema, Sept. 5, GNA- Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, on Thursday inaugurated a fruit terminal facility at the Tema Harbour, build at the cost of five million dollars for the export of horticultural products. The project, which started in 2006, under the World Bank assisted Agricultural Services sub-Sector Investment Programme aims at upgrading the cold chain infrastructure at the port in order to support he operations of Sea-Freight Pineapple Exporters of Ghana (SPEG). It involved the conversion of an open shed occupying 4,400 square metres into eight fully refrigerated chambers completed with cold storage facilities. It has a capacity of up to 300,000 metric tonnes to store fresh horticultural produce annually.

Vice President Mahama, who was joined by the President of the World Bank, Mr Robert Zoellick to inaugurate the project, said within the next five years, the facility would operate at full capacity and would fetch more than 1.2 billion dollars for Ghana annually.

He said a similar facility was been constructed at the Kotoka International Airport under the Millennium Challenge Account. Vice President Mahama observed that the project will facilitate internal and external trade due to the good weather condition Ghana enjoys, stressing: "It is summer all-year-round- a situation, which enhances and supports organic production of horticultural products." He said in 2007 Ghana earned 80 million euros through the exportation of 90,000 tonnes of fresh produce to the European Union. Vice President Mahama said the precarious global food situation posed a strong challenge to African governments.

Dr Korang Amoako, Chairman of SPEG said the facility would ensure better prices for their produce. Mr Zoellick said the World Bank would support the project to be operational.