Stakeholders in Ghana’s horticulture value chain have renewed calls for the establishment of a dedicated Horticulture Research Institute to drive innovation, boost exports and create jobs.
The appeal was made at a stakeholders’ meeting in Accra organised by the General Agricultural Workers’ Union, where a position paper on investing in agriculture, particularly horticulture, was presented to policymakers and development partners.
Participants described the proposed institute as a critical missing link in efforts to unlock the sector’s full potential.
They noted that although horticulture offers strong prospects for youth employment, women’s economic empowerment, agro-processing and regional trade, it continues to underperform due to limited research coordination tailored to its specific needs.
Dr. Paschal Ajongba Kaba, who delivered the presentation, said Ghana currently lacks a research institution solely dedicated to horticulture, despite the sector’s short production cycles, high returns per hectare and expanding export opportunities.
“We do not have an agricultural research institute focused exclusively on horticulture. What exists is a unit under the Crop Research Institute, and that makes it difficult to fully prioritise and appreciate the strategic importance of the sector,” he said.
Dr. Kaba explained that Ghana’s agricultural research architecture has historically evolved by carving out specialised institutes from broader structures once particular commodities gained national importance.
He cited the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute and the Oil Palm Research Institute as examples. Both institutions were previously under the Crop Research Institute but later became autonomous bodies to deepen research and development within their respective value chains.
He argued that horticulture deserves similar attention, particularly as Ghana seeks to diversify non-traditional exports and strengthen domestic food safety standards.
According to him, proposals to establish a horticulture research institute date back to 2016 but stalled following a change in government.
“When the government changed, the process halted. Yet the need had already been clearly identified,” he noted.
Dr. Kaba stressed that enhanced research capacity would improve yields, tackle pest and disease outbreaks, strengthen seed and planting material development, and expand irrigation-based cultivation.
It would also support value addition, reduce post-harvest losses and enhance Ghana’s competitiveness under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Stakeholders at the meeting maintained that investing in a dedicated horticulture research institute would position the sector as a driver of agro-industrial growth and inclusive economic transformation.
