Germany: Police stumbles upon $37m illegal drugs hidden in pineapples from Ghana

German customs stumbled across 28 million euros (37 million dollars) worth of illegal drugs hidden amongst seven tonnes of pineapples in Hamburg harbour, officials said yesterday.

“While unloading a ship from Ghana, we came across a container full of pineapples meant to be delivered to a fashion boutique in Western Germany,” custom official, Dietmar Schulze said.

“It seemed bizarre that a clothing store would order 15 tonnes of pineapples so we launched an investigation.”

Scanning and searching the container revealed that it contained five and a half tonnes of marihuana as well as 18 kilograms hashish—both preparations of cannabis. Schulze said it was the biggest drug bust for more than 15 years.


Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com

Publication date: 3/26/2009

DAVCO moving towards greener environment

In the recent multi-partite monitoring team meeting of Davao Agricultural Ventures Corporation (DAVCO), a company engaged in the production of fresh pineapples under the Del Monte label for export to international markets, the goal of moving further towards a greener environment for 2009 was delineated.

DAVCO Environment Officer, Norman Antipala, presented the company plan to continuously plant fruit-bearing and non-bearing trees to areas adjacent to water sources and major rivers such as Panigan River , Cogon Creek, Gumalang Creek and Talomo River in Baguio District, Davao City , where the pineapple plantation is located. This is intended to prevent soil erosion especially in sloping areas and provide watershed and buffer easement protection.

“We are employing necessary procedures to keep our operations safe for the people in the area and to protect our environment as well. In fact, we conduct water sampling twice a year and soil sampling every two years”, said Antipala.

Planting of coffee is another prospect as it could serve as an additional easement and buffer protection zone for nearby squat houses as well as provide dwellers supplementary livelihood. Moreover, in the last four months, the company has already planted almost 3,000 fruit bearing and non-bearing trees as part of their corporate social responsibilities.

The multi-partite monitoring team composed of representatives from Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Health (DOH), Fertilizers and Pesticides Authority (FPA), Davao City Agriculture Office, Davao City Engineers Office and Davao City Planning Office, comes in a regular basis to conduct area inspection and makes sure that dwelling buffer for newly acquired and planted areas is implemented.

DAVCO, an affiliate of Anflo Group of Companies, is a joint venture of Del Monte Fresh Produce International, Inc. since 1981 and has been exporting its products to as far as Japan , Hong Kong , Korea , Middle East and New Zealand .

Contact:
Ms. Korrine Gil
ANFLOCOR CorpCom
Davao City, Philippines
Tel: 00639206653357/082-2348202
corpcom269@yahoo.com


Publication date: 3/24/2009

Sri Lanka seeks to raise pineapple export to Pakistan

Seeking to increase its fruit exports, the Sri Lankan Government has undertaken a marketing campaign to sell pineapples to Pakistan. Pineapples in Sri Lanka are grown in an area of over 4,750 hectares producing over 35,000 tons a year. The fruit is grown on a large scale in the country as it has a ready demand in the international market.

Fruits and nuts constitute less than one per cent of Sri Lanka s total exports, official data shows. Besides pineapple, Sri Lanka exports jack fruits, passion fruits and avocado to various countries.

Moves are afoot to encourage high density planting and intensive management to enhance production of high quality pineapple production, officials said. Last month, the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Karachi organised a Sri Lankan pineapple promotional campaign.

Besides carrying out demonstrations on the correct way of cutting pineapple, the promoters in Karachi also offered the public to taste the delicious fruit. Sri Lankan pineapple has penetrated into the Pakistan after the implementation of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement with effect from June 2005.

Source: indiainfo.com

Publication date: 1/3/2008

Ghana, Africa, pineapple farmers, others to benefit from Praxis Strategy Group expertise

Delore Zimmerman's arrival in the African country of Ghana's capital city, Accra, meant a winning outcome for his host from the very start.

'Very few Americans visit the countryside in Ghana,' Zimmerman, President of Praxis Strategy Group, explains. 'My colleague, Tony Mensah, told his business associates he could bring an American businessperson there, and they bet that he couldn't. It was
a lighthearted beginning to a very productive, fruitful visit to a country full of potential and one of the African continent's strongest democracies.'

Fruitful, indeed.

One of the efforts underway as a result of Zimmerman's visit is organizing a group to import pineapples to North America, possibly organic pineapples, through a sustainable farm community project. The core group consists of Tony Mensah, Kwami Ofei of Farm Anas Ltd. - a commercial grower of mango and papaya - and a professor from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). The pineapple will be grown by women brought together as a farm-based organization (FBO) that will focus on sustainable, low-impact use of natural resources - an initiative that is part of the Paramount Chief Osaadeayo Nana Addo Danquah III's vision for the Akaupem area.

'Pineapple production provides vital work and income in the pineapple growing regions, yet the current structure and organization can be improved, especially for exports to the United States,' Zimmerman explains. 'We're now working on putting together a market for the pineapples, likely out of Los Angeles, California, because it provides a larger base of people for the contract. Our colleagues in Ghana will organize the farmers while we organize the buying groups and marketing efforts.'

As a developing country, Ghana now relies on a few primary commodities and minerals for revenue and foreign exchange. Cocoa, snails, mangos, pineapples, gold and timber are all important export products for the African country. Zimmerman and Praxis Strategy Group are helping coordinate efforts to improve production techniques, production, packaging and shipping for enhanced export opportunities. Praxis is also leading efforts to organize a first-ever agricultural expo for Ghana that will include participants from across North America.

Preserving history

The initial impetus for Zimmerman's visit was to speak at a rural economic development conference a few days before Ghana's annual Odwira Festival. The Odwira Festival is celebrated in the fall by the people of the Akwapem traditional area. The festival is mainly the dramatization of Akwapem sacred traditions, myths and olden day legends, handed down by the ancestors of the 'Oman.'

'The Festival has been held since 1826, and the celebration includes an amazing number of events,' Zimmerman explains. 'In participating in the festival, we learned that there is no cultural museum for the area, so we're also now looking at securing funding through foundations and development banks to establish a cultural museum for the Akuapem area. Separately, an architect is working on designs for a museum.'

Moderate efforts yield major accomplishments 'Ghana's key challenges are development, sanitation and healthcare,' Zimmerman says. 'The chiefs, sub-chiefs and everyone I met with is very entrepreneurial minded and motivated to do their part to develop their country. It's rewarding that even moderate efforts can produce a major impact on improving their lives and preserving their heritage.'

Zimmerman plans to return to Ghana in the fall of 2009 to participate in the Odwira Festival and lead a tour of other economic developers and agri-business professionals from around the world. As to the other ambitious plans for that visit, all bets are off.

About Praxis Strategy Group

Praxis Strategy Group is a growth strategy company that works with economic development corporations and agencies, research and development organizations, entrepreneurs and companies to develop and implement technology-based industry initiatives and business ventures. The Group specializes in economic strategies for small to medium-sized metropolitan, micropolitan and urbanized rural regions. Praxis Strategy Group is headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with offices in Fargo, North Dakota, and Los Angeles, California.

Publication date: 3/6/2009