Chapter 2. A historical comparative analysis of commodity development models in West Africa 67
On the plus side, these non-traditional export commodities offered new scope for diversification with
strong returns on investments and with added local employment benefits. For example, 10 000 people
worked in the banana sector in Cameroon in 2003, 35 000 people in the banana and pineapple sectors
in Côte d’Ivoire in 2002, and 12 000 people were employed in the string bean sector in Senegal in
2005 (Maertens et al., 2009). On the downside, these non-traditional export value chains had limited
impact on agricultural development and did not offer an alternative of comparable size to the common
traditional exports, which were still far more significant for the national economy.
3.2 Case studies
A. The pineapple value chain in Ghana: Strong potential but not for smallholders
Pineapple is one of the leading horticultural export crops in Ghana (Danielou and Ravry, 2005). Pineapple
exports doubled from 1997 to 2004, reaching 70 000 tonnes sold for a value of USD 22 million,
making it the number one export in value (Danielou and Ravry, 2005) (Figure 14). Ghana quickly built a
competitive advantage over other suppliers by using a reliable national airline system, a reliable harbour
and lower production costs (Danielou and Ravry, 2005). The pineapple value chain is essentially run
by the private sector, dominated by medium to large-size farms upstream, and by export companies
supplying European supermarkets. Farms producing pineapple rely on their strong capacity to meet the
required standards and to adjust to changes in demand requirements by European buyers.
Figure 14. Evolution of pineapple production (tonnes) in Ghana, 1990-2000
Source: FAOSTAT (2012)
Table 7. Employment in exporting horticultural sectors in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal
Country Production Year of survey Number of employees in the sectorCameroon Banana 2003 10 000
Côte d’Ivoire Banana and Pineapple 2002 35 000Senegal Cherry tomatoesString Beans^20052006 12 0003 000Source: Source: Maertens et al. (2009)(^)