Financial viability, value addition and constraint analyses of certified organic pineapple production and marketing in Ghana.

摘要

Certified organic pineapple products, though beneficial as food and revenue sources, could also be costly to the producer in terms of resource consumption and opportunity cost of investment. Using certified organic pineapple producers in central and eastern regions of Ghana as a case study, financial viability per acre (0.4 ha) of certified pineapple over a 5 yr period was estimated, using net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) approaches, where cash flows were discounted to their present values. NPV were positive, indicating that production of certified organic pineapple in both central and eastern regions of Ghana is financially viable. Results were further confirmed by the estimated IRR in both regions, which were higher than the cost of capital and hence financially viable. Sensitivity analysis performed on the NPV for both regions revealed revenue to be the most sensitive and cost of tools and consumables the least sensitive variable. Total value added and value added per unit cost of certified organic pineapple by pineapple farmers, retailers and processers in both regions were assessed using absorption costing approach. It was found that the processor (i.e., dry processor) is the actor that adds more total value to the primary raw material compared to other actors. Using Kendall coeff. of concordances to test agreements between ranked constraints, access to cash credit on the whole was ranked the major constraint to certified organic pineapple production in central and eastern regions of Ghana. Therefore, it is suggested that developing a drying processing industry in Ghana with efficient driers and improved technology could help reduce postharvest losses, create jobs and increase income levels in the pineapple industry. Further, it may be expedient for the government to embark on policies geared toward credit interventions for pineapple producers.