Dumping of foreign goods in Ghanaian market collapsing local businesses - Frank Agyekum

Dumping is one of the major challenges for many local businesses as the influx of foreign goods renders local businesses uncompetitive on the market.

This particular problem can mostly be found in the poultry and textiles sector.

To help curb this problem, the Executive Secretary of the Ghana International Trade Commission (GITC), Frank Agyekum, explained that the dumping of foreign goods competes with locally manufactured goods.

Touching on the poultry industry, he said these foreigners import chicken feet, back and wings to Ghana because it costs less to import these items.

He stated that, as a result, that local businesses were gradually collapsing, leading to job and revenue losses.

Mr Agyekum said, “these foreigners bring them here because it costs less exporting the parts they do not like the chicken feet, back and wings. Most of the things, especially in the poultry industry, you realise that what they bring in here are the rejects they want to dispose of like chicken feet, the back and neck.”

“At times disposing of those over there are more expensive so it is cheaper for them to export them at almost no cost to them to our countries to dump in our markets and prevent our local ones from selling. As a result of our markets collapsing, we lose revenues and jobs and we continue to live in poverty,” he added.

Mr Agyekum was speaking at a multi-stakeholder workshop on unfair food prices in Ghana, the Executive Secretary of Ghana International Trade Commission said, “If you are able to approach us on these matters we are able to investigate and exact measures. So to every business that is faced with unfair trade practices the GITC is there for you to address these practices.”

Speaking in the same vein, the Executive Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers, Lawrence Amartey Tetteh, admitted that the dumping of chicken into the Ghanaian market has worsened the challenges of Ghana's poultry industry.

The sector, he said, was on the verge of collapse due to the lack of regulations to check the dumping of chicken onto the market.

He therefore called on government to help revive the local poultry industry and effect fair prices of poultry products such as eggs and chicken.

ESA/FNOQ

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