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Italy to showcase its leading companies in agricultural mechanization.

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The Ghanaian government’s vision for agriculture is ambitious yet achievable with the right mix of expertise, technology, and machinery. As a critical economic area, a resilient and productive agricultural value chain would have a transformational impact on growth, job creation, and living standards in the country.

In Italy, Ghana has a trusted and ready partner for its aggressive drive to modernize and reshape the agricultural sector through the extensive deployment of machinery and tech-based agro innovations. In fact, a growing number of Ghanaian entrepreneurs are turning to Made in Italy technology, reckoning the competitive advantage it brings thanks to its features in terms of quality, reliability, and technical assistance. Consequently, the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), the government agency which champions Italian companies and investments abroad, has sought to establish the right linkages and partnerships at both policy and business-to-business (B2B) levels to boost agribusiness development in both countries.

Mechanized agriculture has long been a stronghold of Italy, with a number of the global names in the production and supply of agribusiness inputs, machinery, and technologies being Italian brands. To link up these companies with the firms along Ghana’s agribusiness value chain, ITA on 22nd June 2021 will organize virtual B2B meetings between Italian and Ghanaian agribusiness companies under the Ghana-Italy Agribusiness Digital Lab project. The meetings will be hosted on a dedicated portal, https://ghana-italy.digital.ice.it, where interested Ghanaian agribusiness firms can register for participation.

The Italian companies specializing in agricultural mechanization that will take part in the B2B meetings are as follows:

The BCS Group
The BCS Group is a leading multinational company in the mechanization industry that designs and manufactures machinery for agriculture and greens maintenance, represented by the commercial brands BCS, FERRARI, PASQUALI, and MA.TRA. and machines for producing autonomous electricity and welding units, represented by the brand MOSA.

Its headquarters near Milan, BCS is a global brand leveraging its business strategy of internationalization and expansion. The success of this strategy has seen the business consolidations leading position in the countries where it has gained great experience and also expand into developing countries with greater needs for technology and mechanization.

Today, the company boasts of over 1,000 dealers and retailers throughout the world, and over 300 importers in all the continents.

Metalmont
Metalmont is an Italian engineering, manufacturing, and marketing company. Metalmont manufactures equipment for the mechanization of cereal storage plants (silo and flat warehouses).

Metalmont products include machines for the handling cereals like wheat, soya, pulses, paddy rice, cocoa and coffee beans, and many other agricultural bulk materials. Moreover, it produces materials for post-harvesting cleaning as well as high technology automation solutions for the mechanization of flat warehouses.

Currently exporting to many countries across Europe, Middle East, and some African countries, the company is known for its tailor-made solutions and readiness to partner with local companies in the establishment of new businesses.

To the Ghanaian farmer, Metalmont offers cost-effective solutions to mechanize cereal production and storage, helping to reduce post-harvest losses.

Selvatici
Selvatici is a 52-year-old company that produces high technology tools for intensive and high productivity in agriculture.

The company is specialized in the production of agricultural machinery for soil preparation, such as spading machines, double spading machines, post-hole diggers with augers both mechanical and hydraulic for backhoes, and rear scrapers.

In addition, there is a line for professional gardening, including aerators and sand spreaders.

Recently, new tools have been introduced in the range, such as spading machines for two-wheel tractors, stone buriers, and bed formers.

In addition to being very well known at the national level, the company has developed an excellent sales network abroad which currently accounts for more than half of its turnover, and it can also guarantee an efficient spare parts service for years.

Tonelli Group SpA
Tonelli Group SpA manufactures a full range of mixers and processing plants for the processing of food in the patisserie, confectionery, and baking industries.

With a strong commitment to standards and quality, the company has internal food technologists and laboratories that work with customers to fine-tune new recipes.
Tonelli’s expertise would be a huge boost to Ghana’s food processing and baking industries.

Grillo SpA
Grillo SpA offers green and eco-sensitive agricultural solutions. Founded in 1953, the company manufactures professional machines for agriculture and green maintenance. It has 5 production plants located in Cesena, Italy. It manufactures and distributes more than 20,000 machines every year across the world.

Ma/Ag SRL
Ma/Ag SRL was established in 1976 to explore winning and alternative solutions to the needs of mechanized agriculture, especially in the provision of ploughing equipment.

The company produces innovative machinery for conservative agriculture, with the aim to grant high productivity levels, cost reduction, and always decreasing impact on the environment.

It has a branch that is devoted to the production of planters and has the capacity to design, produce and sell its entire product range with wide market coverage in both Europe and non-European countries across the globe.

Urbinati Srl
Urbinati Srl designs and manufactures modular systems for the automation and mechanization of horticultural, forest, and floral nurseries.

Founded in 1978 by Nino Urbinati, the company has the vision of seeing “automation and mechanization in all nurseries in the world” and currently exports to over 95 countries, with a network of more than 50 official distributors worldwide.

Urbinati SrI proposes customized technical solutions for nurseries for the following phases: sowing, automatic and manual transplanting, filling—pots and trays—irrigation, germination, trays washing, handling, labeling, and trimming.

NARDI Srl
NARDI Srl has been manufacturing agricultural implements since 1895 and has a mission to produce implements for modern and professional agriculture.

Its strengths include a comprehensive product range (mouldboard plough, disc ploughs, cultivators, disc harrows, rotary-hoes, mechanical seed drills, and vacuum planter, fertilizer spreader, boom sprayer, mist blowers, etc.) for a wide range of HP tractor (30-600+); quality and reliability of the implements; extensive sales network, customer support, training, and spare parts service; participation in integrated agricultural mechanization and agronomic best practices projects; and 90 years of experience in Africa.

NARDI SrI also boasts of important supplies to the governments of various countries, collaboration with important institutions like the FAO, UNIDO, ICARDA, and production of the Delfino3s plow for the fight against erosion and desertification.

Zanin F.lli Srl
Zanin F.lli SrI designs and develops machines and systems such as cleaners, dryers, conveyors, and storage systems for the industrial food farming sector.

With more than 60 years of quality and experience, the company designs and builds highly specialized solutions and systems for the food industry. It has always been ahead of the times and prides itself on keeping environmental sustainability at the forefront of its approach to design.

All the above companies will showcase their expertise and technologies, as well as explore potential business relationships with Ghanaian agro-related enterprises, during the Ghana-Italy Agribusiness Digital Lab on June 22. However, it is a great opportunity for Ghana’s agribusiness sector to ride on for mechanization transformation.

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Fire vitiates Elmina fish market, two injured

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Two persons were Monday injured in an inferno, which burnt fresh fish and property worth thousands of cedis at Elmina Fish Market, leaving fishmongers and fishermen devastated.

The fire engulfed a wooden shed where several drums of premixed fuel were kept with fishing inputs.

One of the victims, whose injuries were severe, was rushed to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital for treatment.

Mena Ekua, a fishmonger, who witnessed the incident told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the fire started when premix fuel being transferred into a canoe by some fishermen got in contact with fire in a coalpot.

She said many of the people at the scene immediately dived into the Benya Lagoon, which prevented a possibly high number of casualties.

Confirming the incident to the GNA in Cape Coast, DOIII Abdul Wasiu Hudu, the Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Ghana National Fire Service, said his office received a call around 1207 hours on the incident.

DOIII Hudu said the Elmina Fire station deployed a team to the scene and reinforcement was later called in from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) station.

He said the fire destroyed large quantities of fish, about 10 drums of premix fuel, a canoe, a power generator, and other household items.

The PRO said due to the intensity of the inferno, some firefighters were positioned at the nearby Elmina Market Branch of the Kakum Rural Bank to protect it.

“Unfortunately, part of the roof of the bank is burnt and the heat from the fire has affected the walls of the bank,” he said.

DOIII Hudu said the victim whose injuries were not severe, told the team that they were transferring premix fuel into their canoe when it suddenly caught fire, engulfing the area within seconds.

He said the GNFS would commence an investigation into the cause of the incident tomorrow to identify the actual cause.

According to DOIII Hudu, there had been series of engagements with the fishing communities, especially Elmina, about the storage and safety of premix fuel.

Also, fire safety education had been organized many times to help prevent these kinds of incidents.

He urged the public to adhere to safety measures in their homes and workplaces.

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World Food Safety Day: Barry Callebaut engages farmers on best practices.

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In line with activities marking this year’s World Food Safety Day, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, Barry Callebaut Ghana has taken the message of food safety to some key cocoa-growing communities in selected districts in the Ashanti Region.

The move forms part of efforts to ensure cocoa farmers understand the need to prioritize and include good food safety practices in their work to ensure the end products from their farms are wholesome and chemical-free.

The Farmer engagement was organized in collaboration with Nyonkopa Cocoa Buying Limited, the only licensed buying company for Barry Callebaut in Ghana.

Officials from the two companies visited about five communities in the Ashanti Region namely, Ankaase, Oseikrom in the New Edubiase District, Hia (Obuasi), and Marfokrom and Adoowa in the Ashanti Bekwai District.

Farmers were taken through activities that impact food safety such as fertilization, pesticide application (pest control), and handling PPE after chemical application.

Other activities were the disposal of used chemical containers, handling of products with key emphasis on preventing allergens (cashew and peanuts), carbohydrates, communicable disease, aflatoxins-buildup, use of banned chemicals and pesticide residues in cocoa beans.

A session was also held to educate farmers on everyday domestic activities likely to impact food safety such as cooking, use of clean water, detergent storage, and handwashing among others.

In his interaction with the farmers, Caleb Agblo, the Food Safety Coordinator at Barry Callebaut Ghana advised the farmers not to downplay the issue of food and personal hygiene as it has long-term effects on the end products.

‘’It’s important to ensure personal hygiene as farmers because you are not just producing for yourselves but the entire world. Wash your hands with soap and clean water before and after handling the cocoa beans to prevent cross-contamination. Also, ensure that foods that are likely to cause allergic reactions such as nuts are not dried alongside the cocoa beans on the same racks and ensure your surroundings are clean’’, he observed.

For his part, the Farm Services Manager for Nyonkopa (Assin Fosu), Ernest Kobil, called on the farmers to desist from using banned and unapproved chemicals to spray their farms as it had a dire consequence on not just their health, but on the wholesomeness of their products as well.

‘’Overuse of chemicals causes the pods to overripe and by the time you harvest, it would have turned into black beans which are inevitably rejected on the international market’’, he emphasised.

World Food Safety Day falls on June 7, 2021, and aims at drawing attention and inspiring action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, and economic prosperity.

This year’s celebration is on the theme, ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow’. The Call to Action for Barry Callebaut this year is to grow it safe – The need for Agriculture and food producers to adopt good practices.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Head of Sourcing at Nyonkopa Cocoa Buying Limited, David Koomson, has challenged farmers to prioritize accountability and bookkeeping in their operations to ensure they get value for money after every farming season.

‘’We have coaches and clerks on standby to assist you with your accounting needs. Make use of them so you can track the investments you put into your farms’’.

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Let’s collaborate to restore the ecosystem now – World Vision Ghana.

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World Vision Ghana a Christian humanitarian, relief, development, and advocacy organization joins United Nations and other organizations today 5th June to celebrate World Environment Day.

A day set aside annually to remind us to take care of the environment, create awareness and take action for protecting the environment.

Today marks the formal launch of UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, (2021–2030) which is essential in World Vision’s work to building the ecosystem.

This year’s observance of World Environment Day is on the theme; ‘Ecosystem restoration’ with a special focus on creating a good relationship with nature.

The Food Security & Resilience Technical Programme Manager, World Vision Ghana Mr. Maxwell Amedi called on all to help restore the ecosystem now. Currently, it’s estimated that 60% of global ecosystem services are degraded.

He explains that in ecology, a disturbance is a temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem.

“World Vision Ghana, as an organization having one of its core values to be ‘stewards,’ meaning we care about God’s creation hence we act in ways that restore and protect the environment,” he said.

Mr. Maxwell Amedi, in a statement to commemorate the day, on Saturday, said human activities, such as massive deforestation, land degradation must stop now to preserve the ecosystem for generations who are yet to be born.

“We cannot continue to sit back while people destroy the ecosystem build on wetlands, causing flooding leading to loss of lives and properties,” he said.

This means we all have roles to play being its organizations, the youth, religious leaders, traditional authorities towards ecosystem restoration.

“World Vision Ghana is celebrating its achievements as an organization in ecosystem restoration through our Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) project model over the past decade.

World Vision is advocating on behalf of most vulnerable children and their parents for a greener environment for sustainable livelihood and using the opportunity to renew our actions, commitments, and choices towards a better ecosystem restoration” he added.

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High yield hybrid maize seed introduced; only 85 days to maturity.

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New hybrid maize seeds with the magnitude of increasing the country’s food buffer stock with its maturity span of only 85 days are about to be introduced into the system.

Produced by Seed Co West & Central Africa, the SC419 certified hybrid maize seed is in the country, verified, tested and it is about to be demonstrated by the farmers to have alternative hybrid maize seed maturity periods.

Ghana’s maize supply falls below its demand. This creates shortage problems which lead to price hikes every year. Maize is one of the staple food crops in Ghana. To curb its regular shortage, the introduction of SC419 maize seed variety which takes 85 days for maturity would provide farmers the best options to determine which hybrid maize seeds to cultivate to save food security in the country.

“Seed Co is introducing new variety called SC419 and the advantage of this variety is that a short season variety, it takes only 85 days to maturity whiles the yield is relatively high, it gives up to 8 metric tonnes per hectare”, Dr. Takemore Chagomoka, the Regional Manager, West and Central Africa of Seed Co said.

Speaking to Agric Today Media, Dr. Takemore explained that the introduction of SC419 is to give farmers choices and opportunities in terms of maturities thus 85 days for early maturity.

Bridging the gap
According to Dr. Takemore, the strategy of Seed Co is not to force seed varieties on farmers but to give the farmers the opportunity to grow the varieties, know the effect and make decisions.

Life is tough for farmers in Ghana specifically the smallholder farmers, many of whom live below the poverty line. To worsen the issue, climate change is creating havoc: maize farmers are experiencing unexpected weather patterns and hot humidity. As farmers battle for this challenge, the fall of armyworm continues to disrupt resulting to lower income and food insecurity in the country as was witnessed at the beginning of this year.

In order to improve the living standard of the farmers, it is the mandate of Seed Co to produce hybrid maize seed variety SC419 which takes less than 3months to mature to resolve maize shortage issues coupling with price hikes in the country. This has the tendencies of breaking monopolistic nature in the system as well as stopping the importation of maize, and increase the income level of the farmers.

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The seed production division produces 92million hybrid cocoa seedlings for the 2020/2021 crop year

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As part of the efforts to ensure the success of the Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme, the Seed Production Division of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has raised 92 million hybrid cocoa seedlings for the rehabilitation of diseased and overage farms, establishment of new farms as well as filling of vacancies in existing young cocoa farms for the 2020/2021 Crop Season.

Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Ahia Clottey, Executive Director of the Seed Production Division (SPD) of COCOBOD, who disclosed this to COCOBOD News, intimated that his outfit had steadily increased hybrid cocoa seedlings production from 60 million to 78 million for the two previous cocoa crop years.

He said 70% of 92 million seedlings for the current crop season were ready for transplanting and Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) was carting them to the farms under rehabilitation. Other farmers are also receiving their allocations for their new farms. “Our focus is to ensure a high survival rate of the transplanted seedlings for a successful programme” he said, adding that his outfit together with CHED is taking the necessary initiatives to monitor the progress being made on the farms.

According to Dr. Ahia Clottey, good farm maintenance is key to sustainable cocoa farming, increasing yield, and improving cocoa tree stock life span. He said good farm maintenance, which basically requires adherence to Good Agronomic Practices (GAPs) ensures that the trees remain strong and continue to bear healthy pods even after decades of existence.

“When farmers brush, prune their farms and apply the recommended pesticides as well as manure and or fertilizers, they can be assured of a long and productive life span of the cocoa trees”, he said, adding that such practices will make the farms more productive and increase per hectare cocoa production volumes.

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Cocobod to attract youth into farming with improved yields.

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The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) hopes to ride on the back of success from its improved yields initiatives to attract the youth into cocoa farming. It believes interventions rolled out in the past few years are resulting in the reversal of cocoa farms depleting across the country.

Speaking at the maiden GIPC Cocoa Value Chain Investment Meeting, co-hosted by The Gauteng Growth and Development Agency Gauteng Growth, a Deputy Chief Executive Officer at COCOBOD, Dr. Emmanuel Opoku, said a lot of conscious effort is going into ensuring that improved yields are realised by farmers across the country; a situation that will make them richer.

He said the adoption of good agronomic practices – such as the application of fertilizers, shade management, mistletoe removal, weeding, and pest and disease control – is accounting for the yield increase.

“I was once transferred to manage our pre-harvest centres: the CEO called me one day and asked if we can do cocoa pollination across the country, and I said yes even though at the time we were only doing pollination in our seed gardens.

“But we started the pilot project, and we were very successful. We moved on to pruning, intensive fertilization, and irrigation, and the results have been successful. We have put in place effective measures to ensure consistent production of high yields.

“With these measures put in place, today a farmer can get 36 bags of cocoa on a one-acre land; so imagine the number of bags on five or more acres. With the price for a bag of cocoa, what business will give you this high a return on investment?” Dr. Opoku asked.

He added that all these are expected to culminate in assuring the consistent provision of the cocoa beans to support local investments that will go into processing and marketing the commodity.

Yields from cocoa have dwindled over the years due to a number of challenges, including, disease-attacks and illegal mining activities at cocoa farms in the Ashanti, Western and Eastern Regions. Cashew and Rubber companies also offer cocoa farmers attractive incentives to go into cashew and rubber plantations, since they are mostly overburdened with huge operational costs.

Dr. Opoku believes that when the youth are exposed to the value of improved yields, a lot more of them will devote more attention to cocoa farming.

Investment Meeting
The maiden GIPC cocoa value chain investment meeting, titled ‘Ghana’s Brown Gold: Sustaining Investments and Leveraging AfCFTA’, also focused on investment opportunities in the cocoa industry and its entire value chain. It also sensitized industry players to the valuable commercial opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

With leading stakeholders such as the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), the Cocoa Value Addition Artisans Association of Ghana (COVAAAGH), and Niche Cocoa Industry Ltd., the deliberations centred on policy interventions being rolled out by the government to foster growth in the sector, and how the cocoa business can be further enhanced.

Generating roughly US$2 billion annually in foreign exchange, cocoa continues to play an important role in Ghana’s economy as a major contributor to government revenue. The industry employs approximately 800,000 farming families and has exponentially expanded economic activities in the rural communities of Ghana.

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EU-GAP MOAP North-West organizes the 2nd Agribusiness fair and conference.

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The Market-Oriented Agriculture Programme in North-Western Ghana (MOAP NW) has organised the 2nd Agribusiness Fair and Conference in Wa under the theme, “Boosting the Agribusiness Potential of North-Western Ghana”.

MOAP NW is one of the key pillars of the EU Ghana Agriculture Programme (EU-GAP). The European Union supports the agriculture sector with over EUR 145 million, thus contributing to higher annual incomes of smallholder farmers’ households and secured permanent jobs along the supported value chains.

The event was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council (UWRCC).

Welcoming both on-site and virtual participants at the event, the Upper West Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, remarked that “the theme is apt and cannot be overemphasized as agriculture has over the years been the driving force behind the economic growth of Ghana and for the fact that there is a shift in focus from aid to trade to drive Ghana’s development agenda”.

In the keynote address delivered on behalf of the Minister of Food and Agriculture, the Director of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate (PPMED), Mr Richard Twumasi-Ankrah, noted that “the agriculture sector of Ghana needs to be transformed to trigger the socio-economic development of the nation, to achieve the objective of providing a lifeline for millions of households in terms of food and jobs”. He also called for more investments through agribusiness in the northwest of Ghana. “Collaboration and partnerships among stakeholders are paramount in harnessing the agribusiness potential of the programme area. This will also require more investment facilitation through complementary roles and responsibilities of all partners in the sector”.

Delivering a speech on behalf of the European Union (EU), the EU Deputy of Delegation to Ghana, Mr Pieter Smidt Van Gelder, highlighted the role of the EU and its partners in the promotion of agricultural development in Ghana. “The conference of today provides a platform to exchange views and experience on the challenges and opportunities of the agriculture sector in Northern Ghana,” he said.

The GIZ Country Director emphasised the strong partnership between the Government of Ghana, the EU and the German Government. “This crucial cooperation will improve capacity development and thus income-generating opportunities for various groups, especially women and the youth.” So far, 1,536 jobs have been created since 2018 through MOAP NW’s interventions.

The two-day event also comprised a grand exhibition and fair of agribusiness products and services, as well as agrotechnology displayed by over 30 exhibitors. The participating businesses also established B2B contacts and network linkages to foster growth.

In attendance also were the Overlord of Wala Traditional Area, Wa Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, the Upper West Regional Director of Agriculture, Mr Emmanuel Sasu-Yeboah, Team Leader for MOAP NW, Dr Elke Stumpf, private and public agribusiness partners and virtual participants from all over Ghana.

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Ghana to lose cocoa-growing prowess in the near future – Farmer predicts.

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Chief Cocoa farmer in Huni Valley in the Western Region, Nana Boakye has projected that the country’s cocoa-growing ability will reduce drastically if measures are not put in place to make cocoa farming attractive to the youth.

Including himself, most cocoa farmers have asserted that they will not allow their children to venture into cocoa farming whilst some of the children themselves upon seeing the suffering of their parents, have shied away from growing the cash crop.

To him, this will happen in 10 years if the government does not put in place a strategic plan to increase tonnage in the cocoa sector and also make the venture more attractive to farmers.

According to him, children of cocoa farmers have witnessed their parents toil for nothing, and comparing other jobs to farming, they would rather do the former than engage in the latter.

“I have 9 kids and none of them are getting involved in farming. They have seen the work I do and noticed my hard work doesn’t match up to the benefits I enjoy. They are all pursuing academics and other businesses and not cocoa farming.”

With his kids pursuing other careers, Nana Boakye fears his kids will sell his 42-acre cocoa farm upon his demise if cocoa farmers do not benefit from their labour. “None of my kids want to venture into cocoa farming and on the very day I die, my kids will sell my land and that is the case with other cocoa farmers as well.”

He made this prediction in an interview with Happy98.9FM’s Don Kwabena Prah on the Epa Hoa Daben political talk show.

The chief farmer proposing a solution to this possible collapse of Ghana’s cocoa sector said, “to make cocoa farming attractive, we need to look at the pricing of cocoa and make sure farming inputs and support from the government is consistent and timely.”

He also believes intensive education, development in cocoa-growing regions, and the provision of social amenities will also make the younger generation cherish cocoa farming. “This is what we need if we want to succeed as a cocoa-growing country.”

Stories on the plight of rural cocoa farmers have been shared on Happy98.9FM’s Epa Hoa Daben political show as part of a series dubbed, “Ghana’s Cocoa Sector, ‘The Inside Story’. This was prompted by the revelation of China actively participating in the growing of cocoa.

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Farmers urged to clamor for PFJ seeds as planting season begins.

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Farmers have been urged to proceed to their retail point of sales to purchase their subsidy seeds under the Planting for Food and Jobs for the 2021 farming season.

This was noted when the Directorate of Crop Services and Plant Protection Regulatory Directorate (PPRD) under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture inspected the seeds that the government contracted Seed Co West & Central Africa to provide for farmers under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) flagship programme.

In an interview with Agric Today, Dr. Solomon Gyan Ansah, the Deputy Director of the Crop Services Directorate under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture said it is the mandate of the Ministry to get the best hybrid seeds for the farmers to plant.

“When we talk of subsidy, it is you and me, Ghanaians, all of us, our tax money that the government uses to support our farmers, so if the farmers do not get the best from these subsidized seeds then it means the government has wasted our money”, Dr. Gyan Ansah said.

The farming season is here again and as the government contracted Seed Co West & Central Africa to supply 100 mt of hybrid maize seeds for the Planting for Food and Jobs programme last year, this year, the government entrusted the company to supply 100 mt based on the good report of yields from the farmers.

To ensure quality imported seeds for farmers from Seed Co West & Central Africa, the PPRD officials took samples of the seeds to check the germination percentage on arrival. This is to make sure the government does not provide bad seeds for the farmers.

“The variety which we are supplying under the Planting for Food and Jobs programme is called SC719 or ‘Gemedi’ in Ghanaian local dialect. This is high yield hybrid seed with drought-tolerant and stretch needs”, Dr. Takemore Chagomoka, the Regional Manager, West and Central Africa of Seed Co said.

The maize varieties catalog that was released in Ghana last year, the SC719 variety so far was the one with the highest yield of 10 to 12 mt per hectare and the response from the farmers indicates that they need the seeds for production this year.

Dr. Takemore explained that since the inspection has completed it is the mandate of the company and the distributor to deliver the seeds to every district under the Planting for Food and Export programme for farmers to have easy access to plant.

Talking about distributing the SC719 seeds to the various districts, Mr. George Ametepey Tozo, the Finance and Administrative Manager of Agriseed Limited said Agriseed has a distribution shop across 8 regions so far, mostly in the Northern part of the country where maize farming is predominant.

“The trucks would convey the seeds from the Central Region to the distribution shops across the 8 regions within 48 hours after the inspection”, George Tozo said.

Resolving the challenges in the distribution channel of subsidized seeds for the Planting for Food and Jobs programme, George Ametepey Tozo said with the determinant price by the government which is GHs 12 per 1kg, they would make sure each farmer does not pay above or below the price.

He assured of equal distribution of the seeds to the farmers. He urged the farmers to patronize Seed Co maize seed variety for a bumper harvest as the planting season is about to start.

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