The industry involves the use of  specialised containers — built to work as a large refrigerator—that  carries temperature-sensitive goods at regulated cold temperatures.

Members of the committee are drawn from the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA), the Global Cold Chain Alliance, Ministry of Food and Agriculture and representation from some import and export groups.

Formed at the end of a meeting facilitated by the Ghana Shippers Authority last Wednesday, it is intended to address challenges faced by stakeholders who require the services of temperature control cargo facility operators.

Some of the concerns reiterated by exporters at the meeting included the lack of capacity building and training opportunities for temperature control cargo operators to upgrade themselves on the changing trends in the industry and the lack of temperature control facilities for the transport of perishables from the farm gate to the airport.

Others are limited cold rooms at the airport, delay in perishable cargo movement at the ports, inconsistencies in temperature regulation of perishable cargo and lack of adequate number of cargo planes to transport goods from Ghana among others.

To this end, the stakeholders have called for regular capacity building and training for Temperature Control Cargo operators in order to improve the quality of goods exported from Ghana, especially temperature sensitive items such as perishable fruits and vegetables.

Head of Shippers Services and Trade Facilitation at the GSA, Mrs Monica Josiah, charged the leadership of Global Cold Chain Alliance present at the meeting to “find practicable solutions to these challenges raised by the exporters.”

She highlighted the importance of such meetings not only to the exporters but the Cold Chain facility providers as well.

“It is important that we discuss these challenges in order that the shippers do not incur losses because sometimes before the goods arrive at the destination some get damaged. This meeting with the Global Cold Chain Alliance is important because they will tell us what the issues are” she said.

Vice President of the Global Cold Chain Alliance, Manuel Cebrera Kabana, gave assurances that his organisation would work to ensure that the challenges faced by Ghanaian exporters are resolved.