The Effects of Varietal Shifts in Demand for Pineapple: a Study of Smallholder Farmers Adoption of Md2 in Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipal Assembly

Over the years, the pineapple export sector has been Ghana‟s best option for integrating her smallholders into the global economy. This was one of the primary objectives for the promotion of NTAEs under the SAPs. The sector guaranteed higher incomes for participating farmers and more foreign exchange for the national economy (Danielou & Ravry, 2005; Gatune et al, 2013). Over the years, however, participation of Ghanaian smallholders has been weakened, leading to dwindling fortunes for the national purse. This is mainly due to the acceptance and subsequent overthrow of the Smooth Cayenne in the European market by the MD2, which was Del Monte‟s strategy to outwit competitors through product and marketing innovations. The study sought to determine the current level of adoption of the MD2 variety by smallholders. Another objective of the study was to understand the constraint factors to adoption and production of MD2 by smallholders. The study employed a mixed research design technique to achieve its objectives. The study focused on smallholder pineapple farmers in the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipal Assembly.. Results showed that there is a low rate of adoption of the MD2. However, those in the late adopter category formed the majority, and points to the possibility of restoring Ghana‟s position in the pineapple export sector if underlying constraints to adoption are addressed. Lack of access to finance, high cost of production and non-availability of plantlets were found to be the major constraints to adoption. The study recommends the provision of plantlets as well as cheap and flexible credit to smallholders to enhance adoption of the MD2.