Non-Traditional Exports Can help Achieve Vision 2020 Objectives

Accra (Greater Accra), 14 Jan.,

Prospects for the attainment of the objectives of vision 2020 lie in contributions from non-traditional exports, Mr. G.D. Quansah, executive secretary of the Federal of Association of Ghanaians Exporters (FAGE), said in Accra today. Opening a day's seminar for 40 non-traditional commodity exporters, Mr.. Quansah argued that revenue from cocoa, timber and minerals are diminishing while that of non-traditional exports has increased by 341.9 percent form 500,000 dollars in 1991 to 276.2 million dollars in 1996. "Available records indicate that while total exports bring in annual revenue of 1.6 million (Dollars) annually, holding all things constant until 2020 to be able to join the group of middle income countries. The seminar on "exports of non-traditional agricultural produce: capacity initiative to mitigate export losses", is being organised by fage and the united nations development programme. According to Mr.. Quansah unless something drastic is done to reverse the losses sustained by non-traditional exporters, we may be forced to review the objectives of our vision 2020". Some problems identified by the organizers of the seminar are lack of appropriate production techniques, basic infrastructure and mechanism to curtail the time lags between arrival of produce from farms to the port. Others are absence of up-to-date market research reports and unfair trade practices by competitors from elsewhere on the export market.

Gri.