A leading passion fruit farm in Mpumalanga, Roslesia Farming, has decided to move its operations to Ghana, following financial losses incurred from Transnet’s poor operation of the country’s ports, Farmers Weekly reported.
The farm, situated in White River with 200 hectares of granadilla orchards, is rooting out its trees.
A shareholder in the farm, Charles Rossouw, told
Farmers Weekly that the land on which the passion fruit is grown will now be used for macadamia farming, citing that the nut was less susceptible to being affected by port disruptions.
He said the disruptions led to the company’s fruit being spoilt, as a result of shipment delays and faulty cooling systems, costing it millions last year.
The company sees Ghana as a viable country for its operations not only because of its suitable climatic environment but because it is also closer to Europe.
More than 80% of Ghana’s trade operations go through its Tema and Takoradi seaports. Both ports were recently upgraded. A $1 billion investment was recently made to upgrade, improve and expand systems at the Tema, and it was ranked the
largest port in west and central Africa in 2020.
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