Ghana has imposed a ban on several fresh produce products being exported to the EU.
The West African nation's Ministry of Food and Agriculture has put the ban in place on peppers, aubergines and gourd following advice from the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) of the European Commission.
The advice was contained in an audit report presented to Ghana by the FVO, which said “Ghana stands the risk of a ban from the European Commission as a result of improper documentation for exports and presence of pest on produce.”
According to local media outlets, Ghana's agriculture minister Fiifi Kwetey said the temporary ban is to streamline the activities of vegetable exporters, and to make them adhere to the world standards.
He said in response to this advise, the ministry is issuing a number of directives to be complied with alongside the ban on the aforementioned products, including the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate thoroughly inspecting produce, increasing the sampling size, and enforcing a ban on all exporters who flout guidelines and regulations, and registering farmers used by exporters to ensure that vegetables are sourced from farms with no history of a False Codling Moth infestation.
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