Honey to earn Ghana US$1.5bn p.a…as GEXIM Bank Board supports the industry
Adnan Adams Mohammed
The Federation of Ghana Bee-Keepers Association (FGBA) has
estimated that Ghana can produce about half a million tons of honey annually at an estimated value of US$1.5 billion.
The Board of the Ghana Export-Import (GEXIM) Bank has
approved an agreement between Ghana and Slovenia an amount of GHC12.0 million
to support and develop the beekeeping industry in Ghana. The Bank plans to add
honey to the Non-Traditional Export commodities list by the next three years.
To achieve this, a Beekeeping Development Project (BeDP) has
been launched in Accra, last week. The initiative is to improve the beekeeping
industry through large scale production and processing into diverse
derivatives. This is to be achieved in two phases with phase one already
commissioned which involves a comprehensive feasibility study and pilot of the
honey production industry. The phase two would concentrate on the production
and processing of the honey by-products for local and international
consumption.
“Ghana is reported to be having one of the best climatic
conditions suitable for bee and honey. Despite this condition, the country
imports more than 600 tons worth of honey worth millions of cedis every month”,
the CEO of the bank, Lawrence Agyinsam revealed, adding that, “the Board of the
bank has approved an amount of GHC12 million to support the beekeeping
project.”
GEXIM stands ready to support the development of the
beekeeping industry into a world-class producer of bee-related products for
export. This initiative will no doubt help all bee value chain players and to
provide financial freedom, eradicate poverty, and generally empower the
vulnerable and deprived in our society, he added.
It (GEXIM) seeks to develop a world-class Honey Production
Industry with a transparent, efficient, and cost-effective supply chain
ecosystem that delivers quality products to both domestic and international
markets.
The bank wants to drive the transformation of the Honey
Industry in Ghana by financing the proponents of the value chain. It envisions
the following: Training of beekeepers, Capacity building, Creation of public
awareness, Provision of high tech honey test centers for quality assurance,
The other proponents are; providing financing solutions for
industry proponents (small, medium size and large), Support for establishing
processing and packaging facilities, and Business Development (market entry
opportunities) for the industry proponents.
“To provide financial support for the industry, GEXIM needs
to understand the current state of the industry, the future state for
sustainability, growth and the building blocks required to achieve the
objectives”, the CEO noted.
The objective of the assignment is to understand the
technical capacity of Ghana’s bee value chain and requirements for its
transformation. Specifically the study shall cover: Market Feasibility of the
bee and honey processing industry in Ghana; Understand the appropriate
financial model for the industry; Analysis on the expected future industry
training and create public awareness; Environment and social impact of the
industry; and Provide technical and financial support for at least three (3)
bee keeping communities on pilot bases.
We thank those visionaries of this potential industry. As a small beekeeper with the vision to go int large scale for domestic and international market how do l go about to receive assistance from the bank. Am operating One Hundred Beehives at Four advantage point.
ReplyDeleteThanks.