The Exotic Fruit Growers and the Fruit Processors and Associations of Ekumfi and Asebu have warmly commended the Government of Ghana and the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, for the swift decision to abolish the 20% excise duty on locally manufactured fruit juices, describing the move as a landmark intervention that will revive Ghana’s fruit processing industry and restore confidence throughout the agricultural value chain. The proposed abolition was announced during the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review as part of broader reforms to support agro-processing and local manufacturing.
The associations noted that over the past several years, farmers and investors in Ekumfi and Asebu have made substantial investments in cultivating pineapples, papaya, oranges, lemons, passion fruits, ginger, and coconuts, with the expectation of supplying Ghana’s growing fruit processing industry. The survival and expansion of local processing factories are therefore critical to ensuring sustainable markets for these crops and attractive returns for farmers and investors. According to the associations, the removal of the excise duty comes at a critical time when local fruit processors have faced increasing production costs and intense competition, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of fruit farmers and workers across the country.
The new policy is expected to restore confidence, stimulate fresh investment in commercial fruit farming, expand processing capacity and strengthen the entire agricultural value chain. The associations believe the renewed growth of the industry could support the creation of between 60,000 and 150,000 direct and indirect jobs across farming, irrigation, harvesting, aggregation, transportation, packaging, manufacturing, logistics, marketing, retail and export services. They further indicated that strengthening local fruit processing would significantly advance Ghana’s import substitution agenda, with the long-term potential to save the country more than US$200 million annually in imports of fruit juices and related beverage products while retaining greater value within the local economy.
The associations also expressed confidence that, with continued government support, Ghana can emerge as the leading natural fruit beverage manufacturing hub in the West African sub-region, leveraging its abundant tropical fruit resources and expanding exports…
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