Government says it has so far given the nod to two out of over 50 leafy vegetable exporters to continue their trading on the European market. This was after they met all conditions set by the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate. According to the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture responsible for horticulture, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, stakeholder engagement is underway to ensure that best practices in the horticulture sub-sector are upheld. “Our first meeting after the suspension was on the 19th of June and out of the 51 farms we visited, only 2 qualified that they can begin their exports so based on that we lifted the suspension on those 2 to do the exports and we gave ourselves another two weeks that we are going to meet all the vegetable exporters association and all stakeholders to review the progress of what we have done so far,” he said. Exactly a month ago, the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate issued a statement to ban the exportation of all leafy vegetables to the international market – a decision it described as necessary to address all possible loopholes and challenges resulting from an earlier ban imposed by the European Union. Mr Osei Nyarko spoke to JoyBusiness at the opening of the maiden edition of the HortiFresh Fruit and Vegetable Fair which is on the theme, “Promoting Quality Fruits and Vegetables for a Competitive Domestic and Export Market. On her part, Project Manager of HortiFresh, Sheila Assibey-Yeboah describes the EU’s ban on local vegetable exportation as a blessing in disguise. “We are back up and we are picking it up again, it really affected the industry but then it was a blessing in disguise, of course, with hindsight you get to appreciate some of the bad things that happen and Ghana was able to improve upon their systems and were able to coordinate all activities and get things back again to stay competitive.”   The 4-day HortiFresh Fruit and Vegetable Fair which seeks to create market opportunities for horticultural businesses as well as sensitize the general public about horticulture sector activities.