Mango Growers join forces for improvement
To develop the Brong-Ahafo Mango Value Chain for the region to be identified as a major quality mango producing centre in Ghana, to the delight of customers with quality fruits at competitive cost, a total of six Mango Growing District Associations have formed a coalition to live to the task.
The coalition, called the Brong Ahafo Mango Growers Association (BAMGA), includes mango growing districts associations like Atebubu, Nkoranza, Sunyani, Techiman, Wenchi and Kintampo, with the Ejura-Sekyeredumase Mango Association in the Ashanti Region, as an adopted member.
BAMGA is made up of 372 farmers, with over 3,500 acres of mango farms, with a potential production volume of 24,500 tonnes per annum of quality mango fruits.
The associations started in the year 2004, in an attempt to supply mangoes to high value buyers such as the Angor River Estate and Blue Skies, as well as seeking support from government and other organisations.
Through the formation of the associations, there has been cordial relations with USAID-TIPCEE, GTZ/DED/MOFA-MOAP, who support with technical trainings and market linkages, which has helped in achieving over 15 Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for members.
BAMGA members have been trained in post-harvest and safe handling of mango fruits, and its value chain concept titled “Ghanaian Sustainable Mango Value Chain Industry,” which was adjudged by the World Bank and her developmental partners, during the 2008 Global Development
Marketplace competition, as among the 100 finalist projects out of 1,768 projects received.
The formation of the associations has contributed to improved yield from three tonnes to seven tonnes per acre, and has improved fruit quality to meet Blue Skies (Global GAP) certification.
During the inauguration of the BAMGA in Sunyani, seven members were elected as executives to steer affairs for the success of the coalition, with Mr. Kwasi Etu-Bonde elected as Chairman, Mr. Yaw Gyan as Vice-Chairman, George Agbozo as Secretary, Sylvester D. Wilson as Assistant Secretary, Mr. Dan K. Tawiah as Treasurer, Dan Effah as Financial Secretary, and Madam Comfort Benneh as member.
The Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Agriculture, Mr. Asante Krobea, swore them into office, urging them to work effectively to achieve their aims. The newly-elected Chairman, Mr. Kwasi Etu-Bonde, revealed some challenges facing the associations such as lack of sustainable input credit for members, and lack of group management team to provide technical and agribusiness support to group members for establishment of input output-markets linkages, and Quality Management System (QMS) monitoring and control.
He used the occasion to appeal to the government, developmental partners, and other concerned donor organisations to support the setting up of medium to long term loan schemes for the development of a sustainable contract/out grower scheme for members to sustain the mango value chain in Brong Ahafo.
Before the inauguration, Ms. Ines Wiedemann, Regional Coordinator, Market Oriented Agriculture Programme MOFA/GTZ/DED, organised a workshop on the introduction of appropriate small-and medium scale processing technologies and capacity building/technical advice, particularly on quality requirement and certification schemes.