The biggest cocoa harvest in a decade is spurring record domestic borrowing by the industry regulator of the world’s no. 2 cocoa producer.
Ghana Cocoa Board has sold 11.7 billion cedis ($2 billion) of six-month bills between January and May, the most in the five-month period since at least 2011, when Bloomberg started keeping records.
The regulator, which is the only buyer of the chocolate ingredient in Ghana, typically borrows from overseas banks but the 2020-21 production has exceeded the target, stretching the $1.3 billion syndicated loan that was raised at the beginning of the season in October. It increased bill sales to help refinance maturing obligations, said Ray Ankrah, the head of finance and administration at the agency.
Farmers harvested 965,493 metric tons by June 3, compared with a target of 900,000 tons for the whole crop year that ends in September. This places Ghana easily within the reach of the 1 million-ton mark, which was last attained in 2010-11.
Yields on the bills are falling, as traders speculate that the regulator will make more income from the bumper crop. The 1.3 billion cedis, 182-day securities issued at 17.65% on May 18, are currently trading at 15.65%.
Even though cocoa futures have dropped over this year, average prices are still 5% higher at $2,475 a ton from a year earlier.
The regulator is also planning to raise $1.5 billion through syndicated loans for the season that begins in October, Ankrah said.
The company, which he co-founded with Arif Abdullah, sells honey and beeswax as well as cashew nuts and animal feed made from cashew leaves and honey.
Until 2014, Abdulai ran a microfinance organisation that serviced small and medium-scale business owners and farmers in northern Ghana. He felt banks were not tailoring products for farmers because they viewed the sector as risky. But a year into operation, the microfinance firm collapsed due to bad debts. Farmers did not have enough harvest to pay off their loans.
Abdulai discovered rampant overgrazing, charcoal burning and bushmeat hunting were contributing to the low agricultural production. His solution was integrated beekeeping. He started the business in 2014 to not only plug a big gap in the Ghana honey market but also help save trees and encourage afforestation. Beekeeping has been shown to preserve nature, biodiversity and agriculture.
Entering the honey business The businessman did not have the money to start a new venture. He approached a carpenter who made 10 beehives based on a profit-sharing agreement that he would give him 20% of whatever the business had made at the end of the year. As for the land to put the beehives, the entrepreneur entered partnerships with local chiefs who would receive 3% of revenue.
At the end of the first year, Abdulai sold his honey to supermarkets and other retailers and after paying $500 to the carpenter, he had $2,000. He was also able to pay the chiefs.
“There’s a vast market opportunity for honey, locally and internationally. With the high cases of diabetes, people are moving away from raw sugar to honey. The global market stands at $8.7 billion and is growing at 7% per annum,” says the entrepreneur.
Tilaa no longer has to depend on the goodwill of village chiefs to keep its hives running as the firm has acquired 300 hectares of land in the Northern Region of Ghana, where it grows cashew nuts alongside beekeeping. Cashew flowers bloom during the dry season, guaranteeing nectar for the bees all year.
Tilaa also manufactures animal feed made from pruned cashew leaves, which are crushed and mixed with honey to create a nutritious meal for cattle. Bee products are rich in vitamins, minerals and healthy fats and can be used to improve nutrition in animals.
The company works with a network of farmers that it trains on integrated beekeeping; it also supplies them with beehives and hybrid cashew seedlings. Later, it buys their honey. By keeping bees, local communities learn to conserve the environment. Cashew trees help replenish depleted land, are a source of food for the local communities and can be intercropped with other plants ensuring food security.
Finding funding to scale up One of the challenges Tilaa initially faced was employing the right staff. Abdulai says he has found it better to recruit people with low or no qualifications and train them. This has helped him navigate the disconnect between academia and the field.
To scale up, the entrepreneur has been a beneficiary of various accelerator programmes, which have equipped him with the skills to manage a start-up as well as provided key funding for growth. In 2018, Abdulai was part of the Ghana Innovation Hub, which helped him acquire seed funding of $50,000 from a US investor. A pitch at the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre in 2019 saw him receive $27,100 as well as help in verifying his products with the Ghana Standards Authority. He’s also been part of an accelerator in Nairobi, where he obtained $5,000.
The businessman regrets not doing these accelerator programmes at the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey. He maintains they would have made it easier to learn about the industry and improve his managerial skills.
Differentiating from the competition While there are several local and international honey brands in Ghana, the beekeeping sector is still in its infancy. Tilaa prides itself on providing a purely organic product that supports conservation. Some farmers and marketers add sugar to their honey or sweeten water fed to bees, resulting in an inferior product. “Most honey has a sugar content of 55% while Tilaa honey has 45%. Imported brands from China can have up to 65% sugar content,” says Abdulai.
Pollution is also a significant concern owing to heavy agrochemical use as these chemicals find their way into the honey. Farm chemicals have also been known to affect the bee population. Tilaa overcomes this by sourcing honey from remote parts of Ghana where agrochemical use is limited.
By focusing on beekeeping as a strategic business, Tilaa has established a foothold as a brand in the Ghana market where most honey producers are individual farmers who are not well organised from farm to market or have not been trained in handling bees. Other competitors are non-governmental organisations whose aim is not profit but rather limiting tree felling.
To stay profitable, Tilaa is considering the construction of a bee house with a controlled environment, allowing honey harvesting throughout the rainy season. Traditionally, honey harvesting is seasonal. “It’s difficult to harvest honey when it rains. The honey has high water content and ferments easily, resulting in a poor quality product,” Abdulai explains.
The company also plans to obtain its organic honey export certification to venture into the global market.
The Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana has called on the Registrar Generals Department to waive filing fees for Agribusinesses that are struggling in the system, most importantly those whose businesses have dwindled as the results of the Covid-19.
Recently, the Registrar General gave a reminder that the institution would delete companies that fail to file returns on June 30th. Of this development that the CEO of the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana, Anthony Morrison has urged the high office to be considerate towards the agribusinesses.
The Registrar-General, Jemima Oware, speaking on the second virtual forum of the #CitiBusinessFestival on Citi TV last Tuesday said companies that fail to file their returns by the end of June 2021, risk having their names struck out of the list of businesses in Ghana.
She said about 200,000 companies have since 2011 failed to file their annual returns and financial statements despite several notices and reminders. The Registrar said the deletion process will start in July 2021.
“Since 2011 when we introduced the new e-registrar software, I have over 200,000 businesses that have not filed their annual returns basically because some of them think they’ve not done business, COVID-19 has come among others. We gave extensions for people to file annual returns, and we extended it to almost one year, and we allowed businesses to hold Annual General Meetings virtually. We gave all these dispensations, but now the time is up. By the end of June 30, we are going to start another round of penalties,” she said.
Speaking on Business Focus on TV3, Anthony Morrison, the CEO of the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana urged the Registrar General to be considerate of the agribusinesses that have flouted to file their returns.
He bemoaned that the economic situation coupling with the pandemic has made it difficult for agribusinesses to thrive. He called on the Registrar General to waive the filing fees for the struggling agribusinesses so they could be able to sustain their operation in this hard time.
The economic relationship between Ghana and Italy has soared to new heights in recent years. From the major role that Italian energy giant Eni is playing in the development of Ghana’s hydrocarbon resources to the efforts of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) to increase economic exchanges between the two countries, it is clear that Italy-Ghana economic cooperation is at its strongest in history.
Italy’s approach to partnership with Ghana is unique, with an emphasis on technology and skills development. Technology is important because it is what Italy exports most, to Ghana and the rest of the world. Indeed, Italian technology is much sought after, not only for its level of quality, reliability, and flexibility but also because Italian suppliers’ approach is to make sure that end-users are fully prepared to make the most out of the technology they buy and are happy with it.
Training, the second aspect of the approach, is in fact a pillar of the Italian way to build relationships; it is based on Italian expertise and know-how, deeply rooted in decades of experience at the highest levels as a manufacturing country and as a leading exporter that is used to being confronted with very different conditions worldwide.
A priority area for Italy’s bilateral cooperation is the agribusiness sector. This is no surprise, as Italy is well known internationally for being a top performer in industrial technology, especially in the agro-food industry. In addition to introducing its world-leading technologies to the local agribusiness sector, Italy is running several training activities in Ghana that aim at building skills and growing local technical capacity.
For example, the Italian Trade Agency has carried out the LabInnova project, a technical and managerial training program to empower Ghanaian agro-businesses to increase their export activity, particularly in the EU and Italian markets. ITA is currently also arranging the participation of a Ghanaian delegation in Macfrut, which is a major agribusiness trade and industry event in Italy.
Other training activities are run by other Italian organizations. Each has its own special distinctive features, but all share the same drive to build a culture of quality and distinction.
Among the training and skills development programs worth highlighting is Eni’s Okuafo Pa project. Eni is a major energy company that seeks to contribute to the socio-economic development of the countries where it operates, following its dual-flag model, which means it can grow only if the country where it operates can benefit from its activity and growth. “In line with the UN 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, we want to contribute to the economic development of Ghana, starting with agri-business that is able to have a short-term and broad-scale impact,” says Mauro Martufi, CEO of Okuafo Pa. “Accordingly, with the Government of Ghana, we have started the Okuafo Pa project in Kyeramasu, Dormaa East, with the aim of improving know-how, enhancing productivity, contributing to emissions reduction, and facilitating access to credit to increase mechanization and digitalization in agri-business.”
The Okuafo Pa training center, established in 2019, is fully powered by renewable energy and trains 800 people per year. With the support of KNUST (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology), the center trains people in practical and managerial agri-business practices, including smart climate agriculture. The target beneficiaries are people between 18 and 40 years old who want to improve their economic conditions, attain better livelihoods, and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country through agri-business. The beneficiaries, 50% of whom are women, are selected by an independent committee on the principles of fairness, equality, and repeatability.
The first 800 trainees graduated in November 2020. About 50 graduates have found new jobs, and the remaining 750 are incorporating more than 60 new cooperatives along the value chains of tomatoes, cocoa, cashew, maize, and poultry. Ten percent of the new cooperatives are already in the harvesting phase of their production.
Post-training assistance is a critical component of the project to ensure the training given to beneficiaries bears fruits. According to Mr. Martufi, Okuafo Pa offers its trainees a “job placement platform” and an “incubator” to support new business initiatives. The incubator will soon feature a dedicated micro-credit facility developed by the Italian Bank of Development (Cassa Depositi e Presiti) and local banks.
The objectives of the project, Mr. Martufi says, are to provide the labour market with a skilled workforce and also develop local, sustainable value chains for strategic products that support national food security (e.g. poultry, tomatoes, and maize) and the country’s industrial agenda (e.g. cocoa and cashew). “If conditions are satisfied, the project could be replicated in other areas of Ghana to reach a wider number of beneficiaries. We estimate that 5,000 people per year can benefit from the direct and indirect effects of the project,” he adds.
Another Italian training initiative is the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Centres of Excellence being constructed by De Lorenzo, an Italian company, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. De Lorenzo is a specialized manufacturer and supplier of technical and vocational training solutions, and its projects for Ghana are turnkey solutions, made up of the construction and equipment, as well as the connected services, such as installation, commissioning, and training of trainers.
De Lorenzo believes that the quality of any TVET program and its products is dependent on the quality and quantity of personnel available to the program. Since competitive TVET systems need vocational teachers, trainers, instructors, and specialists of high calibre, one full month’s training session is organized both locally and in Italy to help the trainers acquire confidence and the necessary technical training skills. The focus of this training is on the detailed use of the didactic/training equipment provided, the use of the various training manuals, as well as maintenance of the equipment.
The first TVET Centre of Excellence is located in Anyinam, in the Eastern Region, and will, among other activities, train students in food processing, focusing on transformation and value addition to various fruits such as mangoes and oranges to convert them into different finished products.
The Centre will have a food processing laboratory with the capacity to process 100 kg/h of fresh fruit products. This laboratory can process raw materials for the preparation of concentrated products such as juice and jam. Through this line, it is feasible to practically develop a small but complete fruit production cycle until the final packing solution. The main focus areas are fruit handling line; fruit preparation line; packing line and pasteurization batch; drying production.
The laboratory allows 30 students per class, who study in different working areas. It is structured to provide the teacher different learning solutions so that students can be divided into different groups of four or five, where each group will be allocated to a specific working area. A similar food processing line will be set up in Akumadan.
Through the TVET Centres of Excellence, De Lorenzo aims to support the government of Ghana’s efforts to develop technical and vocational skills relevant for the 21st century, creating prosperity and equal opportunity for both male and female learners.
UPSA–E4Impact MBA in Entrepreneurship. In yet another example of the importance of training in Italy’s approach to cooperation, UPSA (University of Professional Studies Accra), the Catholic University of Milan, and E4Impact have joined forces to offer in Ghana the Global MBA in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
UPSA is an acclaimed public university in Ghana and one of the region’s leaders in combining academic studies with professional certification. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan, on the other hand, is the largest private university in the European Union, with over 40,000 students, 1,650 faculty members, 5 campuses, 78-degree programs, and 79 research centers. E4Impact is the spin-off of the Catholic University of Milan aimed at growing entrepreneurs in Africa. On behalf of Università Cattolica, E4Impact manages 17 MBA programs in entrepreneurship in Africa, with over 2,000 entrepreneurs accelerated through such programs since 2010.
To offer the MBA in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Ghana, the two organizations have developed together a training and acceleration program uniquely designed to support Ghanaian entrepreneurs to start and grow their business in the country and beyond. The partners have selected faculty, business experts, and mentors from Ghana, Italy, and the United States, and the programme is fully recognized by the National Accreditation Board.
The MBA is uniquely designed to support active and aspiring entrepreneurs in boosting their businesses. Its distinctive features include the following: • It combines excellent training with business acceleration services; • All training is designed to transfer tools necessary for entrepreneurs to grow their business; • Business acceleration services include: access to investors, coaching, networking, trips to Italy; • The MBA also gives entrepreneurs access to a network of professionals who can further support participants; • The MBA offers all participants and alumni access to a B2B platform to do business across Africa; • The best entrepreneurs doing the MBA have the chance to interact with Italian businesses to go international; • The best 3 entrepreneurs across Africa win a monetary prize; • The MBA adopts a flexible program that combines face training, online work, and networking; and • The MBA offers two degrees, one from the UPSA and the other from the Università Cattolica.
Anybody who holds a first degree in any discipline and who has a business or a project to start a business can apply for the MBA.
As of today, the MBA has graduated 2,000 entrepreneurs across Africa. Among these graduates, 87% increase their sales; 85% start yet another business; 81% increase their turnover, and 31% access funds within 1 year after completing the MBA.
In Ghana, the MBA has already trained more than 150 entrepreneurs. These include Bola Ray, founder of Excellence in Broadcasting and Starr Radio; Stephen Eku, founder of Emigoh, the company manufacturing Yommi Yogurt; Amin Sulley Abubakar, founder of ZaaCoal, Africa’s largest organic charcoal plant; and Bobie Osei Ansah, founder of Farmer’s Hope, Ghana’s largest organic fertilizer producer.
Today, UPSA and E4Impact are offering 2 scholarships for the next edition of the MBA to Ghanaian companies participating in the Ghana-Italy Agribusiness Digital Lab project, https://ghana-italy.digital.ice.it. It is a unique opportunity to benefit from highly qualified training and mentorship for entrepreneurs with innovative ideas in the agro-food industry.
Land conservation in Lesotho. The African projects will seek to address land degradation in a bid to strengthen resilience and livelihoods.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today welcomed approval from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for five FAO-led projects in eight countries, totaling more than $46.6 million in funding. The decision was made during the 60th GEF Council Meeting and the 30th Least Developed Countries Fund Council Meeting.
The latest projects will address critical environmental challenges – such as land degradation, biodiversity loss, unsustainable fishing, and climate change – that threaten the food security and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people in Asia and Africa.
They will be implemented in partnership with and co-financed by the governments of Cambodia, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Lesotho, Malaysia, Senegal, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
“These projects are especially welcome after the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. “It is vital that we take action now to restore the natural systems on land and water that we rely on to achieve better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.”
The projects approved by the GEF will assist countries and communities to adopt more sustainable and climate-resilient practices, foster regional cooperation, and enact stronger policies to conserve biodiversity and deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
They will directly benefit 441,500 people and restore over 27,000 hectares of degraded landscapes. The projects will also create 30,000 hectares of new protected areas on land and sea, and improve the management of over 765,000 hectares of landscapes and 4 million hectares of marine habitats.
Their action is designed to mitigate 6.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and move 547,393 tonnes of over-exploited fish stocks to more sustainable levels.
Among the FAO-led projects is a regional project in the Gulf of Thailand that will promote sustainable fisheries management in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
By adopting an ecosystem approach to fisheries and strengthening fisheries governance, the project will help conserve marine biodiversity and reduce the excessive exploitation of overfished fish stocks, while supporting the sustainability of fisherfolk livelihoods.
The four projects approved in Africa will address the threats of climate change and land degradation to enhance the climate resilience of communities, safeguard natural resources, and strengthen agricultural value chains to improve rural livelihoods.
Since December 2018, FAO has mobilized more than $550 million in GEF grant funding for member countries, including the latest projects, making FAO one of the top four GEF agencies globally.
Sorting, processing, and packaging are critical stages in agro-industrial production, requiring the best available technological systems and products supplied by the most specialized and experienced companies in the world.
Lately, an increasing number of agro-industry companies in Ghana and in Africa are looking for solutions from Italy, as Made in Italy machinery is well known for its reliability and high standards, allowing producers to improve their performance with consistency and quality output.
To respond to such growing interest, the Italian Trade Agency in Ghana is set to bring to the country through the Ghana-Italy Agribusiness Digital Lab project, major Italian companies in sorting, processing, and packaging to exhibit their expertise to Ghanaian agribusiness operators in the food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and other agro-processing sectors.
On display, there will be technologies for sorting of ingredients and raw materials, food processing and preservation, and fresh and safe packaging of produce. Most of these technologies are turnkey and developed to suit customer needs and specifications.
Through the Digital Lab which is slated for June 22, the exhibiting Italian companies will conduct virtual B2B meetings with Ghanaian agribusiness companies under the auspices of the Italian Trade Agency. 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 following companies engaged in the business of sorting, processing, and packaging will take part in the B2B session and are ready to connect with firms along Ghana’s agribusiness value chain for mutually beneficial partnerships:
Systems for extraction – Agrenta Agrenta develops and manufactures natural flavours, vegetable extracts, and functional food ingredients to give food products an extra touch, a taste experience, or added functional benefits inspired by nature.
It designs production protocols and systems for the extraction of active ingredients from plants, herbs, and other vegetable sources, starting from laboratory to commercial scale.
Working with public institutions, research centers, and non-profit organizations, Agrenta actively promotes the development of human capital in the territories and rural communities in which it operates.
Raw materials handling-Agriflex Agriflex is an Italian manufacturing leader in raw materials handling for the food industry. The company designs manufacture and install systems for storing, conveying, dosing, and automatically controlling solid and liquid micro and macro raw materials.
It is the go-to brand for bespoke solutions for raw materials processing by producers or agro-businesses that are into value addition for products such as bread, pasta, confectionery, etc.
At Agriflex, every system is specifically designed to meet the customer’s needs, from the initial concept to design, manufacturing and installation.
De Lorenzo S.p.A. De Lorenzo is a 51-year-old leading Italian company in the design, development, and production of technical and vocational training equipment in various fields including food technology.
Thanks to its wide experience gained over the years, De Lorenzo is able to provide suitable solutions through the supply of small-scale food plants designed to provide knowledge and expertise on food processing technology related to fruit, vegetables, and milk.
Clients and users are able to observe a complete production cycle and work on a wide range of machines through the hands-on practice of individual operations such as washing, mixing, separating, extracting, etc.
Studio Tecnico Appiani srl Studio Tecnico Appiani is an Italian company with more than 20 years of worldwide experience specializing in the engineering, supply, and turnkey manufacture of hydrothermal processing plants for the main cereals, mainly focused on parboiled rice, with almost 5 technologies in its portfolio.
The company has installed parboiling plants worldwide, including in Thailand, Bangladesh, India, China, Africa, and South America.
Thanks to the growth of the international market and the increasing demanding for new processes, the company has studied new lines for the production of quick-cooking rice, precooked cereals, and pulses lines to reduce the final cooking time of the products, saving household time.
Tropical Food Machinery SRL Unipersonale Tropical Food Machinery (TFM) designs and manufactures complete plants for fruit and tomato processing. It develops a range of “turn-key” lines, from receiving to filling, with a capacity ranging from 200 kg/h to 50 t/h, for large industries and for small producers and cooperatives.
The production is tailor-made to suit the customer’s needs and the improvements made on the field are integrated into the new projects.
TFM deals with the construction and commissioning of the machinery without intermediaries. This verticalization of the production guarantees control over quality and unparalleled productive speed, as well as creating a strong sense of community within the company’s workforce.
TFM offers the customer the ability to connect by electronic means and to receive assistance remotely for its plant: in this way, the company’s “vertical” style includes buyer’s assistance.
Fruits & vegetable processing—Navatta Group Navatta operates directly on the national and international markets as a manufacturer and installer of machines and plants for the processing of fruit, vegetables, and tomatoes, with a portfolio of products that make it one of the main reference companies in the sector.
The group produces, installs, and starts up lines, systems, and machines for the processing of peeled/diced/pulp tomatoes, tomato sauces and purees, tomato concentrates with fillings in all types of rigid and flexible containers, and aseptic fillings.
Navatta also delivers patented high-yield plants for the extraction of fruit purees with “cold extraction” technology, aseptic equalization systems for purees/juices, as well as the processing of vegetables through reception, preparation, cooking, grilling, and freezing.
Filling machines—Galdi Galdi is into the design and building of solutions and services including filling machines for food and beverages.
The company provides value-added solutions for the filling and packaging of milk, dairy products, fruit juices, and liquid eggs in Gable Top cartons. The Gable Top cartons guarantee the maximum attention to food safety.
The client-centered approach oriented towards continuous improvement allows Galdi to constantly expand the resources made available to the customer in order to generate greater value, both in the pre-and post-sales phases.
Packaging solutions—Agripak This Italian brand provides turnkey solutions in the engineering and manufacturing of machines for reusable and recyclable packaging for fruit, vegetables, food, and logistics.
A global brand with over 70 years of experience, Agripak sells its machinery, downstream plants, auxiliaries, and end-products solutions all over the world, expressly tailoring its high-tech solutions to any customer’s request or production need.
The company focuses strongly on customization, high-standard quality, innovation, productivity, turnkey service, and fast return on investment.
The circular economy concept is well enshrined in its operations; thus, it develops specific materials and machines to reduce the weight of the packages, allows reuse of the packages, and finally recycles them back in the production loop.
Packaging materials—Graziani Roberto e F.lli & C. Graziani Packaging is the largest Italian manufacturer of packaging materials, specialized in palletization for the logistics and export of fruits and vegetables.
For many decades, this brand has been a reliable and experienced international partner for the security of goods during transportation, working in more than 40 countries worldwide and supplying its innovative high-quality solutions that secure the shipments of fruits and vegetables all over the world.
It is the Italian reference supplier for cardboard corners in many of the major fruit and vegetable exporting countries worldwide. Its MAGIC CORNERS® is produced with a mix of the best virgin Kraft Liner papers and selected cardboard together with special glues, which allow it to attain the highest resistance on the market.
Graziani operates through a well-structured network of agents and distributors, or directly with prestigious large companies and major brands in the sector.
Packaging solutions—Ilip Ilip is a member of the ILPA Group, a European leader in the processing and transformation of plastic and bioplastic raw materials.
The company develops and makes available to retailers, foodservice and the fresh produce and food industry, its innovative and sustainable packaging solutions, in thermoformed plastic, bioplastic, and renewable and compostable materials.
The company operates three business units: Food Service Packaging, Fresh Produce Packaging, and Fresh Food Packaging.
The assortment of its fresh produce packaging includes punnets, trays, and fruit nest trays made from plastic and R-PET up to 100 percent specially designed to protect, enhance and preserve the freshness of fruit and vegetables, to meet any need in any situation.
Packaging machines—Laferpack Lafer Packaging is a leading manufacturer of horizontal packaging machines and complete automatic packaging lines, offering the very best solutions in the packaging of various agro products.
Its quest for quality is driven by its passion for the job, its desire to share knowledge, and the pride of meeting customers’ expectations.
It offers customized solutions to satisfy the needs of that person that will employ it; machines with reduced maintenance time and operating costs; and machines easy and intuitive to be programmed. The rationale behind this is to produce a modern technology that reduces energy consumption without losing sight of the needs of those who will daily use the machines that are built.
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. It is an opportunity not to be missed by the Ghanaian agribusiness sector.
The Cocoa Abrabopa Association with the farmers planting trees to support Green Ghana initiative.
The Cocoa Abrabopa Association (CAA) has planted 1,500 trees to help the government to achieve the objective of Greening Ghana with nursed trees from Form Ghana. Shade trees were supplied to 351 cocoa farmers being members of the association.
Priorly, farmers received training on planting techniques and maintenance of the seedlings to increase the survival rates of the planted trees. Since 2009, CAA has run a shade tree seedling distribution and training program with its members, and up to date over 242,000 shade trees have been supplied to the members for planting on their farms.
On Green Ghana Day, the association joined the rest of the subsidiary companies of the corporate founder, Africa Tiger Holding Limited to mark the day, by collaborating with cocoa farmers at Afosu and Ofoase – Ayirebi in the Eastern Region.
The objective of the tree planting exercise was to support the government’s agenda of greening Ghana and also in memory of the late founder of Cocoa Abrabopa Association Mr. Henri Wientjes.
They believe “Green Ghana” would help to preserve the ecosystem to aid the fight against the negative effects of climate change.
Currently, the country’s forest cover stood at 1.6 million hectares from 8.2 million hectares witnessed in the 1900s.
The Council Chairman of Cocoa Abrabopa Association (CAA), Mr. Ismail Pomasi said it is important to restore the depleted forest cover, ravaged by negative human activities such as lumbering and illegal mining.
“We are supporting the government’s agenda; where trees we are planting today are economic trees.
We planted Mahogany, Emire, Mansonia Albizia, and Otie trees. The rationale for this intervention is to make an investment for our future children and our gallant cocoa farmers” he said.
Mr. Pomasi used the occasion to educate the community on the importance of planting trees more importantly in their cocoa farms.
“We also believe that if more efforts are made towards protecting the existing tree populations across the country, it will reinforce government’s idea of planting new trees and growing them”, he added.
Mrs. Rebecca Ayisi Asiedu, Council Member of Cocoa Abrabopa Association and Regional Representative for Eastern Region said it is only collective efforts that can help us restore our degraded forest and reforest Ghana.
“Swift reforestation is critical. The goal of 5 million trees set by the Government of Ghana is very necessary so we must all do our part.
There is no dispute that the woman farmer makes a vital contribution to the country’s economy; this is our time to help shape sustainable development in rural areas” she said to her colleague farmers.
The Operations Manager Mr. Andrew Roland Obosu and the Eastern Regional Manager for Cocoa Abrabopa Association Mr. Ebenezer Agbozo used the opportunity to thank the farmers for their continued support of policies and programs that will help restore and conserve forests and water bodies.
“As Managers at Cocoa Abrabopa Association, we are committed to enabling cocoa farmers in marginalised communities to alleviate the effects of climate change. To achieve this, our projects will continue to incorporate sustainable and livelihood enhancing practices” they said.
In attendance were also the Technical Coordinator (Ofoase – Ayirebi Operational Area) Mr. Samuel Kofi Sarfo, Child Development Officer of Cocoa Abrabopa Association (Kade, Ofase – Ayirebi Operational Area), Mr. Daniel Feda, and some cocoa farmers in the Eastern Region took part in ‘Green Ghana Day’ exercise.
Greenhouse farming is a thriving sector in Italy thanks to companies with decades of experience in providing cutting-edge greenhouse technologies and systems for the cultivation of horticultural products, including fruits and vegetables as well as flower crops.
Aside from its greenhouse expertise, Italy is also a global powerhouse in seed innovation and production as well as sustainable farm water and irrigation technologies.
As Ghana aims to boost agricultural productivity to increase output and incomes, the need to deploy modern seeds, greenhouse, and irrigation technologies is critical, as this will result in more efficient agriculture and help transform the entire sector.
Through the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), Italy stands ready to introduce its technologies and specialized companies in these areas to players along Ghana’s agribusiness value chain and to also transmit valuable know-how to Ghana.
In furtherance of this, ITA will on June 22 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 following companies specializing in seeds, greenhouse technology, and irrigation will be participating in the virtual B2B session:
Berries & Breeding Molari Molari Berries & Breeding, which describes itself as one brand with two souls, is an Italian company focused on high-quality berries plants and a world-recognized breeding program.
The company’s flagship product is raspberries, in addition to blues and blacks. Molari also holds international patents for the Enrosadira®, Castion®, and Aurora® varieties, as well as the new varieties Halley and Dorotea.
Thanks to cutting-edge research and development methods, Molari Berries & Breeding has been able to build a highly recognized global reputation, driven by its goal to connect every dot of the berries supply chain, from distribution to growers.
Greenhouses Idromeccanica Lucchini SPA This company is a leader in the production of greenhouses covered in plastic material for horticulture and floriculture, complete with the most advanced irrigation and heating systems with computerized control.
Founded in Northern Italy, an area with a strong tradition in horticulture and floriculture, the company has been executing projects in the field of greenhouses production for over 70 years and exports its products to several countries across the world.
Idromeccanica’s greenhouse innovations for agriculture and floriculture tell a lot about the brand, such as its attention to detail, passion for quality, and outstanding customer care.
Greenhouses and everything that is delivered by the company are strictly controlled by the quality control office, with the materials used 100 percent made in Italy.
Irritec irrigation systems The Irritec Group, established in 1974, is among the world leading companies in precision irrigation. Irritec designs, manufactures and distributes complete irrigation systems, with a mission to improve the efficiency of agriculture and gardening.
Global water scarcity and growing food demand require the use of drip irrigation, the most efficient irrigation method allowing reduced consumption of water, energy, fertilizers and pesticides, and producing healthier and higher yields.
Irritec designs, manufactures and distributes products and complete irrigation systems for all applications. With 14 branches and over 800 employees, Irritec has production and commercial sites in Algeria, Brazil, Chile, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Senegal, Spain, and USA.
Irritec is committed to spreading the water-saving awareness through know-how transfer. In developing countries drip irrigation can contribute to the achievement of food security and economic development. Thus, Irritec Academy is a training program which includes specific pilot projects for developing countries aimed at creating local irrigation experts and spreading the water-saving technology among agricultural communities.
Irritec expertise and innovation have been acknowledged by international awards, recently with the #Agrifuture prize from “Santa Chiara Lab” by the University of Siena in collaboration with Maker Faire Rome, the Italian Commissioner General’s Office of Expo 2020 Dubai. Irritec is an active member of the UN Global Compact and participated in the 2020 Edition of the “E-Africa Business Lab” program.
Luigi Floridia Electric starters Luigi Floridia – Electric starters is into the design and production of electro-mechanical and electronic controllers for starting and commanding electric motors that are used on electro-pumps and other industrial automation.
Thanks to its dedicated research for innovation and cutting-edge devices, the company holds a prominent position both nationally and internationally in the domain of electric and
electronic automation, which has allowed it to do business with partners in 64 nations from all over the world.
With ISO 9000:2015 and IQNet certifications, thanks to the quality of its production processes, Luigi Floridia provides every customer with reliability and affordability on its tailored products that are uniquely shaped to customers’ requirements.
The company has a design wing devoted to constantly enhancing its equipment and developing new prototypes with the aim of marketing leading-edge products that can challenge any competitor all over the world.
Luigi Floridia is service-ready with its excellent team tasked to ensure both pre-sales and after-sales customer satisfaction, with quick response time and prompt availability of technicians and consultants, who are also able to offer remote assistance to clients.
Automated nurseries Urbinati S.r.l. Urbinati Srl designs and manufactures modular systems for the automation and mechanization of horticultural, forest and floral nurseries.
The company has the vision of seeing “automation and mechanization in all nurseries in the world” and currently exports to over 95 countries.
Urbinati 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.
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. It is an opportunity not to be missed by the Ghanaian agribusiness sector.
Chief Executive Officer, Private Enterprise Federation (PEF), Nana Osei-Bonsu has said opportunities abound in agriculture is a driver of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and businesses should take advantage.
He explained that agriculture is a major economic sector for Africa which generates around US$ 100 billion or 15 percent of the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He said although its contribution to GDP tended to vary widely from one country to another, ranging from just over 2 percent in South Africa to 35 percent in Mali, adding that agriculture remained a critical sector for the continent in terms of employment, food security as well as exports.
Nana Osei-Bonsu speaking at PEF’s sensitization of private sector players on the AfCFTA said Africa possessed 60 percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land, intensified its agricultural productivity, it could produce 2-3 times more cereals and grains, with similar increases in horticulture crops and livestock.
“However, the region has been a net importer of basic food products for over two decades which is likely to worsen in the short term due to the Covid-19 crisis. It is here that the AfCFTA becomes crucial,” he added.
The CEO said to effectively benefit from the AfCFTA, African countries must focus on areas where they had a competitive and comparative advantage. He said a greater portion of these opportunities are in agriculture and infrastructure.
“As of 2010, Africa still needed at least $46 billion in additional spending each year to upgrade its energy, water, and transportation networks,” he said.
He said Ghana’s intra-Africa exports value ranking in the seven products studied was generally impressive.
“Its ranks in the top 10 African countries in four products including plastics, mineral oils, pharmaceuticals, manufactures of metals; ranks in the top fifteen countries in two products including agro-processed goods, and cosmetics and places in the top twenty countries in one product textiles,” he added.
He said to ensure the participation of businesses in the AfCFTA, there is the need to develop and disseminate a schedule for implementing the thirteen years staggered tariff reduction arrangement under the AfCFTA.
Nana Osei-Bonsu said there is the need to map and review the status of implementation of AfCFTA in other African countries and build the support systems for boosting agricultural production and value addition, Intellectual property right protection to promote research and development.
He called for country-level diagnostics through the establishment of National Agribusiness Apex Chambers/Bodies to enhance Intra Africa trade and adopt improved farming practices such as enhancing agricultural production through greenhouses.
“Facilitate partnership to mobilize long-term capital from domestic private sector sources for investment in various value chains,” he added.
Dr. Abebe Haile-Gabriel, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, Food and Agriculture Organization, said it is important to look at the agricultural food systems for the successful implementation of the continental agreement.
He said the success of the world’s largest free trade area rested on governments and the private sector and that it is an opportunity to invest in trade and agricultural products.
Dr. Abebe called on Ghana to improve her physical and soft infrastructure such as digitalization, trade logistics, and creating opportunities for market access. “Consistent efforts are also needed to reduce non-tariffs and other challenges which contribute to a high level of informality in many African countries,” he said.
He said governments could facilitate close border trade by investing in physical infrastructure, simplifying procedures, harmonizing standards, streamlining licensing procedures and certificate of rules of origin requirements, improving market information, financing, and improving the professionalism of Custom Officers.
James Boafo, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kristen Lyons, The University of Queensland
Global businesses, donors, and governments have each pursued a Green Revolution agenda in Africa, Asia, and South America since the 1960s. Its aim was, in theory, to produce more food, reducing food insecurity and poverty. This was done via improved seed varieties, chemical fertilizers, and other agrochemicals.
However, rates of hunger continued to increase alongside the uptake of these agricultural technologies. They have also been criticized for the carbon they produce and the amount of water they use.
Despite the failings of the first Green Revolution, a second wave emerged in the early 21st century, this time primarily targeting the African continent. National policies across a number of African countries have supported this agenda. In Ghana, for example, the government worked with donor organizations and the private sector to extend the Green Revolution throughout its major food-producing areas.
The Brong Ahafo region, now divided into Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions, is one such area. This zone is often referred to as the “food basket” of Ghana. It leads the production of maize and other major staple crops. It is also a favoured location for experiments with agricultural modernisation, because its ecological conditions suit food crop cultivation.
We designed a study to analyse drivers of this second Green Revolution in the Brong Ahafo region. It included key champions of this agricultural transformation agenda. We also aimed to assess its impacts at the local level and on different categories of farmers.
Our study found that international donors and philanthropic organisations were central in driving Green Revolution technologies in this region. Despite the hopes – and hype – pinned on this second Green Revolution, it has failed to address the needs of poor farmers. It hasn’t reduced poverty. Rather, it has increased farm input costs, farmer indebtedness, and inequalities among farmers.
Given these outcomes, there is an urgent need to re-imagine agricultural transformation. It is farmers – not donors and philanthropists – who are best placed to lead a socially just and environmentally responsible farming future in Ghana.
Drivers of farming technologies A dominant view among government and industry stakeholders is that the current Green Revolution is vital to make smallholder farming more productive. They call for access to farm inputs and innovations, financial and agricultural services and support, and access to markets.
Our study found many actors in farming communities also shared this view. For instance, representatives from donor organisations such as the Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) championed the uptake of external inputs for increasing agricultural production.
Similarly, agricultural extension officers and representatives from local NGOs encouraged farmers to adopt these technologies. Pressure also came from commercial providers of “improved” seeds, chemical fertilisers, and other agrochemicals.
Through the uptake of these commercial inputs, farmers have become integrated within global agro-input chains. This is unlike the first Green Revolution when farm inputs were most commonly freely exchanged among farmers.
Our study shows that farmers in the Brong Ahafo region are reluctantly adopting these inputs. They are being told that doing so will help them adapt to changing ecological conditions – including shortened rainfall periods and diminished soil fertility. Such claims are not necessarily matched by farmers’ experiences.
Different outcomes The first Green Revolution has been widely criticised on the basis of its adverse social and environmental impacts at the local level. Our study of the second Green Revolution in the Brong Ahafo region demonstrates similar trends. These practices of farming have increased the costs of production and put farmers further in debt. Poor and landless migrant farmers are hit hardest.
Although new technologies may have increased yields, they have also raised costs of production – and there are no assured markets for produce. The region has no structured market systems that can ensure farmers generate an income from crops. With bargaining power skewed in favour of buyers, the prices of produce often disadvantage farmers – especially when farm produce is abundant.
But the outcomes are not the same for all farmers. Commercial farmers who are able to produce in large quantities are often linked to markets through contract buyers who purchase directly from their farms. Their financial and social capital puts these large-scale farmers in the best position to benefit from any Green Revolution interventions. Poor and small-scale farmers are unable to reap the same rewards.
The high costs of production – through dependence on costly off-farm inputs – and lack of access to ready markets are driving farmers away from food crops and towards cash crops for export. Such conditions have already threatened local food systems and will continue to do so.
Way forward Champions of the second Green Revolution in Africa – including national governments, donors, and philanthropists – promise its technologies are the answer for feeding the world, even in an era of climate constraint. Yet the reality on the ground – as borne out in our study with farmers in the Brong Ahafo region in Ghana – tells a different story.
Faced with the challenges of land shortages and changing ecological conditions, alongside insecure and unfair markets, technological interventions alone will not ensure a socially just and environmentally responsible food system.
The many diverse challenges facing farmers in Ghana – and many other parts of Africa – must be met by taking local approaches. These consider the lived experiences and expertise of farmers themselves and are supported by national agricultural policies and planning. Farmers need space to shape their own livelihoods and to innovate in response to changing ecological conditions.
