The on-air series of the Citi Business Festival continued with the Director of Agriculture at the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Erasmus Ashun.
He spoke on penetrating the export market in line with the series’ focus on agribusiness and five things stood out.
- Investment in capital and technology
“We cannot create the advantages that we need to have to be able to set ourselves on the international market without the necessary capital and technology to be able to drive the trade.”
Investment, in terms of capital and technology, is crucial for driving exports and partaking in the global market, said Erasmus Ashun.
- Aggressive Marketing
“…To make sure we get into the minds of the wholesale consumers so that Ghana will be taken seriously…”
He said farmers needed to be aggressive with marketing to take up space in the minds of the wholesalers so that the export market takes Ghanaian products seriously
- Consistency
“We must be seen to be a reliable source of exports.”
In the medium to long term, farmers must be ready for the hard work for desired profits.
This includes deliberate moves to ensure consistency of product and supply.
- Quality products
“The export market is very sensitive to issues of quality.”
Farmers also need to be sensitive to the issues of quality and be in tune with buyers’ expectations, whose perspectives must factor heavily in the output.
- Competitive prices
“We need to be seen to be competitive in terms of pricing.”
Erasmus Ashun also urged farmers to be wary of the pricing of products they hoped to export.
The prices needed to be competitive, he stressed, in order for them to break into the international markets.