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Forest reserves as large as 30 football fields destroyed by illegal miners at Anhwiaso 

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Illegal miners have cut down vegetation covering more than forty acres of land in the Anwhiaso-Bibiani Municipality of the Western-North Region. 

This vast amount of space, comparable to thirty football fields, included several farmlands in the Aboabo community, the Anhwiaso River and portions of the Anhwiaso East Forest Reserve. 

Residents of the Aboabo community are however unperturbed by the destruction as they are ready to trade more farmlands to the miners.

The unlawful mining activities in many areas of the country, especially in the Ashanti and the Western regions continue to wreak havoc on land, forest reserves and water bodies in mining communities.

Trees have been felled, cocoa farmsu and important economic crops have been cleared, either illegally or willingly by farmers for galamsey to thrive. 

At Aboabo, a small farming community in the Anwhiaso enclave, illegal miners have subdued farm lands spanning several acres.  

The Anwhiaso East Forest Reserve, which is one of 8 forest zones of the Anwhiaso-Bibiani municipality, have also seen portions intruded by illegal miners in their quest for gold.

The Aboabo River and Aframpie River have been heavily impacted.  

The Aboabo river, which leads to the Ankobra river, has been blocked to supply water for the illegal mining activities.

Despite the intervention by the Rapid Response Team of the Forestry Commission in 2019, the situation persists as farmers and community members connive with illegal miners to harm the forest. 

Theophilus Kofie, a resident, says the community is willing to lease all lato illegal miners.

“The presence of Galamseyers have brought us development. They have given us a road, helping with the construction of our school block. We are in support of what they do here,” he said.

Some political leaders in the area are alleged to be owning illegal mining sites.

Christopher Agyedu says he is ready to resist attempts to restore the wreckage, saying the galamseyers obtained the lands lawfully. 

”Galamseyers did not force anyone. They came into agreements with owners of these ones and they willingly leased them,” he said.

Whilst their resistance has been fierce, some concerned community members are appalled by the looming health and environmental hazards of illegal mining. 

Chem Samuel, a farmer in the Aboabo community, observed that strong political hands make the fight against illegal miners difficult. 

He is therefore appealing to the Minerals Commission and anti-galamsey institutions to intensify measures in curbing the menace in the Anhwiaso enclave. 

”Those in support of this menace at Aboabo even said, it would not go anywhere. And an individual like me has no strength, fiance, or military. I would appeal that the government and mineral commission take this up and intensify the fight,” he said. 

Municipal Chief Executive, Paul Andoh, however believes the authorities in the municipality have been proactive in the fight against illegal mining. 

He says lack of jobs and quest for development should not be an excuse for the devastating of lands, forests and water bodies through illegal mining. 

“When we got the Intel, we gathered the municipality’s security force to halt the exercise. We seized four excavators, although the owner is still unknown. And so we have been proactive about the situation. 

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Consumers pay more but farmers’ earnings constant

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Kenyan farmers have consistently earned less even as consumers pay more for food products, a new report has revealed.

The report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (Fao) dubbed the World Bank and Agriculture Statistical Year Book 2023, compares annual changes in prices received by farmers against inflation in food consumer prices.

The data shows a persistent disparity between the increase in consumer food prices and the prices received by farmers through to the end of 2022.

For example, inflation in food consumer prices stood at 12.9 percent against a lesser increase in prices received by farmers at 7.1 percent.

In 2021, inflation in food consumer prices was recorded at 8.9 percent against a 3.8 percent increase in the prices received by farmers over the same period.

The disparity in earnings to consumer prices was at its widest in 2020 when the annual change in prices received by farmers contracted by 44.1 percent against a 6.4 percent jump in food consumer prices inflation.

Prices fetched by Kenyan farmers are usually influenced partly by an inefficient market structure that features a multitude of intermediaries, driving down value for farmers.

Middlemen dictate what a farmer gets with the actors including corrupt police and county officers manning roadblocks, contributing to the divergent wholesale and retail prices.

It is believed that manipulation of pricing right from the farm gate to the retail outlet, with the middlemen allocating profit margins in the value chain, largely to their advantage.

The Fao report traces the spike in food consumer prices, mainly to periodic shocks to global demand and supply chains.

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Global food production at risk as rising temperatures threaten farmers’ physical ability to work – Research.

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The future of global food production is under threat as temperature rises will impact farmers’ physical capacity to work, a new study has revealed.

The research—which brings together Loughborough University, Australian and U.S. universities—predicts that by the end of the century labor productivity could fall as low as 40% in key food production regions like Pakistan and India.

While other important crop-growing regions in Southeast and South Asia, West and Central Africa, and northern South America are expected to see physical work capacity reduced to 70%.

“Assessments consistently conclude that climate change will reduce crop yields making food security challenges worse,” says study lead Professor Gerald Nelson, of the University of Illinois.

“But it’s not only crops and livestock that are affected. The agricultural workers who plant, till, and harvest much of the food we need will also suffer due to heat exposure, reducing their ability to undertake work in the field.”

Published in the journal Global Change Biology, the study, titled “Global reductions in manual agricultural work capacity due to climate change,” involved using computational models to predict the physical work capacity (PWC)—defined as “an individuals work capacity relative to an environment without any heat stress“—under different predicted climate change scenarios.

The models, developed by Loughborough University, are based on data from more than 700 heat stress trials—which involved observing people working in a wide range of temperatures and humidities, and differing weather conditions, including sunshine and wind.

The maximum work capacity achievable by individuals in a cool climate was used as the benchmark for the study—representing 100% physical work capacity.

Reductions in capacity mean people are limited in what they can physically do, even if they are motivated to work. This may translate as farmers needing extra workers to do the same job, or if these are not available, then reducing their crop sizes.

Agricultural workers are already feeling the heat, the study reveals, with half the world’s cropland farmers estimated to be working below 86% capacity in “recent past” (1991–2010) climate conditions.

As a next step, the study considered potential adaptations to mitigate the impact of climate change on agricultural workers.

Switching to nighttime or shade work to reduce direct solar radiation, was shown to lead to a 5%–10% improvement in worker productivity.

A second investigated option is to increase the global use of mechanical machinery and equipment, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where agricultural practices largely involve hard physical labor.

Of the importance of the study, Loughborough University’s Professor George Havenith said, “This research demonstrates once again the large impact climate change will have on life in various regions around the world, and quantifies the effects on agricultural productivity.

“Understanding the full impact of climate change on worker productivity enables us to predict the economic impact of climate change and guide mitigation efforts that ensure we keep workers safe while limiting productivity losses.

“We hope the suggested adaptations can help guide investments to support agricultural workers and food security as climate change makes the outdoor working environment increasingly inhospitable.”

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Olam Agri Re-certified as top employer in Ghana for the fourth consecutive year

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The Top Employers Institute has recognised Olam Agri as a Top Employer in Ghana as well as in seven other countries including Australia, Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique, and South Africa.

Olam Agri is also recognised as a Top Employer in the African continent for the 3rd consecutive year. This recognition reflects the company’s position as a global employer of choice as it strives to give its 9,600 employees the freedom to flourish personally and professionally in a purpose-driven organisation that supports diversity, inclusion, and collaboration.

The Top Employers Institute, the global authority on recognising excellence in People Practices, recognises an organisation’s dedication to a better world of work through excellent Human Resources (HR) policies and people practices. The programme has certified and recognised over 2,300 Top Employers in 121 countries/regions across five continents. The survey covers six domains including People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Wellbeing, and more.  

In addition to the Top Employer recognition, Olam Agri has recently received the Great Place to Work® certification for Brazil, India, and Singapore, as well as the Kincentric Best Employers Award for China and Thailand.

Mr. Stephen Adeakye, Head of HR at Olam Agri in Ghana, commenting on the company’s certification in Ghana, said,  

“As we celebrate our fourth consecutive Top Employer Certification, we acknowledge the dedicated efforts of our employees and reaffirm our commitment to nurturing a workplace that inspires excellence and innovation. This recognition motivates us to continue our journey toward setting new standards in employee satisfaction and engagement. By consistently investing in employee development, welfare, and satisfaction, we aim to create a workplace that fosters growth and prosperity.”

Olam Agri’s commitment to building a high-performing organisation and an inspiring workplace is supported by 3 Cs of Culture, Contribution, and Career:

1.    A culture of excellence: a culture that encourages collaboration and teamwork, rewards meritocracy and entrepreneurial spirit that allows intelligent risk-taking, and a diverse and inclusive workplace built on trust and autonomy. Easy access to senior leadership further empowers employees, eliminating bureaucratic hurdles and fostering agile decision-making.

2.    Making a difference: a purpose-driven workplace that has sustainability at its heart. It allows playing our part in strengthening global food security, improving access to better nutrition, enhancing the livelihood of communities, as well as tackling climate change.

3.    Opportunity to Flourish: A global footprint allowing truly global careers. This allows people to take on challenging assignments that broaden their experience and help shape and guide their careers matching their aspirations. Everyone feels valued, recognised, and supported to reach their full potential.  

Top Employers Institute CEO David Plink says: “Exceptional times bring out the best in people and organisations. We have witnessed this in our Top Employers Certification Programme this year: exceptional performance from the certified Top Employers 2024. These employers have always shown that they care for the development and well-being of their people. By doing so, they collectively enrich the world of work. We are proud to announce and celebrate this year’s group of leading people-oriented employers: the Top Employers 2024.”

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Putin Threatens Britain’s Fish And Chips…

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One of Britain’s favourite dishes is under threat amid a Kremlin plan to rip up a decades-old agreement allowing UK ships to fish in Russia’s Arctic waters.

British vessels have been permitted to fish along the coast of the Russian Kola Peninsula in the Barents Sea and to east of Cape Kanin Nos for almost 70 years – even at the height of the Cold War.

A massive amount of cod and haddock sold in fish and chips shops across the country is traditionally sourced from these waters – according to UK Fisheries data, a whopping 566,784 tonnes of cod was scooped in the Barents Sea just last year alone. But now Vladimir Putin is said to have declared fishing war on the UK, with his government backing draft legislation that would see Russia pull out of the 1956 agreement and ban Britain from scooping its revered supply of cod and haddock.

It comes in response to Britain’s decision to slap Moscow with sanctions over the war in Ukraine, and could mean Russian navy warships being used to warn off UK vessels.

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GIRSAL awards financial institutions for lending support to the agric sector:

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The Ghana Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending Project (GIRSAL), through its Partner Excellence Awards, has recognised its most-active financial institutions and individuals for helping increase lending to the agriculture sector.

The awardees were honoured for supporting the agriculture sector through GIRSAL’s core programmes – the Credit Risk Guarantee Scheme and Technical Assistance and Advisory Services – in 2023.

According to GIRSAL, the awardees’ efforts have played a crucial role in realising the fundamental objective of de-risking and boosting lending in the agricultural sector.

Awardees

Absa Bank Ghana Limited came top, winning four of the awards under different categories, thus becoming the Partner Financial Institution (PFI) with the highest total number of GIRSAL Guaranteed Agricultural Credit; PFl with highest total value of GIRSAL Guaranteed Agricultural Credit; and winner of PFl with Best Quality Agricultural Credit Guarantee Applications.

Fidelity Bank Limited followed with two awards – Most Responsive Partner Financial Institution of the Year and Highest Staff Participation in GIRSAL’S Agric and Agribusiness Finance Training Programme.

Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited also won a PFl award, with the Highest GIRSAL guaranteed Credit of the Year.

Individuals

At the individual level, Eric Nkansah-GCB Bank won the GIRSAL Chief Executive Officer’s special award for Best Performing Relationship Manager of the year.

Also, Ricky Aboagye Poku emerged the Best Training Facilitator in Agriculture Value Chain Courses and Eyram Atsu emerged Best Training Facilitator in Agriculture Finance Courses.

Collective commitment

Chief Executive Officer-GIRSAL, Kwesi Korboe, in an interaction with media at the awards presentation, highlighted the crucial role played by awarded entities in advancing the economy’s backbone; encouraging a collective commitment and intensified support to unleash the agricultural sector’s potential; and the transformative impact it could have on the nation’s prosperity.

He commended the institutions contributing significantly to increasing lending for the agriculture sector, explaining that the awards are a testament to their dedicated efforts in fostering agricultural growth.

He also expressed optimism, noting that there has been a positive change in the culture of lending to the sector and an improvement in sector players’ readiness.

Appreciation

The interim Managing Director-Absa, Adolph Kpegah, said his outfit has been conscious about supporting agricultural sector growth through lending and capacity building along the entire value chain.

“We are truly honoured to be recognised by GIRSAL for our commitment to supporting the agricultural sector; this a testament to the dedication of our team, who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of Ghanaian farmers and agribusinesses.

“Our commitment to the sector’s growth is absolute. Agriculture is essential to Ghana’s economic development, and the high-risk challenges associated with the sector motivate us continuously to find pragmatic innovations – such as the partnership with GIRSAL to improve funding access for the sector,” added Executive Director-Retail and Business Banking, Absa Bank Ghana Ltd., Mr. Kobla Nyaletey.

For his part, Managing Director-Fidelity Bank, Julian Opuni, expressed gratitude for the recognition, highlighting the need for continued efforts to empower and uplift the sector.

He reaffirmed Fidelity Bank’s dedication to doing more, saying the potential within agriculture cannot be underestimated.

GIRSAL

For the past three years, GIRSAL has been awarding its most active partner financial institutions which are helping increase lending to the agriculture sector through the GIRSAL Partner Excellence Awards.

The awards are an annual event to honour the significant contributions of partners – both institutions and individuals – as well as encourage more lending to the agriculture sector.

It also provides an avenue to appreciate the efforts of those making a positive impact in the space.

GIRSAL is a non-banking financial institution established to de-risk agricultural financing and stimulate increased lending to the agricultural sector with the support of financial institutions in Ghana. It provides credit guarantees and technical support to financial institutions and agribusinesses, through well-structured transactions, to increase agriculture lending.

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Tomato prices still high despite drop in wholesale amounts

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Retail price of tomato remains high despite a considerable drop in the commodity’s wholesale price since third quarter (Q3) 2023.

The price for a whole box of the commodity imported from Burkina Faso decreased sharply from GH¢3,000 in Q2-2023 to GH¢1,700 in Q3-2023 – representing a 43 percent drop and has since remained stable through to January 2024. Similarly, the price for a box of locally produced tomatoes dropped by 47 percent from GH¢1,500 in Q2 to GH¢800 in Q3 and remained stable through to January 2024.

Despite the reduction in wholesale prices and fact that most markets visited in Accra are flooded with the produce, some consumers who spoke to B&FT complained of high prices as retail prices remain unchanged. For instance, as a small paint-bucket of local and imported tomatoes goes for GH¢30 and GH¢60 respectively – the prices at which they were being sold before the drop in wholesale prices.

In Ghana, tomato is an indispensable vegetable in the daily diet of people across all regions. Alone, it accounts for 40 percent of total vegetable expenditure. Its value chain in the country has a market size estimated in excess of US$1billion annually – with sub-markets for seeds, agricultural input/implements, haulage, aggregation, tomato concentrate production and sales, among others.

Hagar Asante, a tomato retailer at the Agbogloshie Millenium Market and representative of the market’s queen mother, Mabel Adedevor, told B&FT that: “In spite of the drop, we still consider current wholesale prices of the commodity – both the local and imported – exorbitant; which is why we have not reduced our retail prices”.

Although their decision has resulted in dwindling customer patronage, she noted that it has become necessary for them to maintain the old prices in order to stay afloat.

While bemoaning low profit margins, she said some of her fellow traders have diversified into other businesses because tomato retailing is no longer able to sustain their livelihoods. “Our plight has been worsened by the present economic situation,” she added.

“We are not here to exploit tomato consumers. They are our customers and the reason we are still in business. If a box of the locally grown tomato was reduced to, let say, GH¢400 and the imported one to GH¢1,000 at the wholesale – as it used to be in the past, we would certainly have brought our prices down. Until we see a further drop in wholesale prices, we will maintain the old retail price,” she further said.

While appealing forgovernment to fix roads leading to the markets to enable ease of access for vehicles coming in with goods, she called on the same to install drainage systems to avoid flooding during the rainy season.  “In the rainy season this place becomes marshy, making the road completely inaccessible to goods-carting trucks and sometimes humans,” she lamented.

She urged local farmers to adopt smart choices and approaches in farming to beat competition from Burkina Faso, while imploring government to provide assistance for farmers to enable them produce all-year-round and maintain price stability.

“Scarcity of the commodity leads to a hike in prices. To avert this, there is a need for those in authority to give farmers the necessary help to produce all-year-round,” Ms. Asante advocated.

Sarah Boateng, a tomato consumer who was at the Agbogbloshie Market to buy the produce said: “The traders must reduce their price. It is unfair for them to sell it to us at the old price when wholesale prices have dropped”.

According to a study conducted by the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, (UG), Ghana’s fresh tomato demand is estimated to be approximately 2.7 million MT/annum – with an  estimated market size in excess of US$537.5million if the country were to locally produce all that it consumes.

Tomato farming in Ghana is a lucrative business. However, poor farming practices and lack of proper storage and transport infrastructure remain major challenges.

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New global fisheries management body’s first meeting focuses on sustainable practices and promoting biodiversity

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A new global fisheries management body began its inaugural meeting today with key items on the agenda including best practices and approaches for the effective management of fisheries resources, and improvements in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) methodology to estimate the state and health of the world’s marine fish stocks.

The fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, the promotion of adaptive responses to the climate crisis, and mainstreaming biodiversity will also be on the agenda of the COFI Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management‘s 15-18 January 2024 meeting, with a specific focus on small-scale fisheries.

Over 500 million people globally depend, at least partially, on fisheries for their livelihoods – nearly half of them women when considering the whole value chain. While 65 percent of fish stocks were within biological sustainable levels, 35 percent were estimated to be at unsustainable levels – a proportion that has been increasing since the 1970s.

The COFI Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management’s main functions are to provide technical and policy guidance on fisheries management,identify global challenges and opportunities, and promote collective solutions to ensure the environmental, economic and social sustainability of a sector that is crucial for global food security and nutrition.

“Improving global fisheries management remains crucial to restore ecosystems to a healthy and productive state and to protect the long-term supply of aquatic foods,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu in his address to the opening of the meeting’s virtual plenary session. “This improvement also includes eliminating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and on addressing the impacts of the climate crisis, and biodiversity degradation that are also heavily impacting aquatic and coastal ecosystems and dependent communities”.

Qu underscored that the Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management will play an important role in addressing these global and complex issues. It will identify and discuss major trends and issues in fisheries management that require measures and make recommendations to the Committee on Fisheries to help advance implementation of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and achieve the vision set out in FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022-31 for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

The Director-General noted that the Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management will guide FAO’s Blue Transformation roadmap and its core objective of ensuring that global fisheries resources – including in lakes, rivers and seas – are efficiently and effectively managed.

On the agenda

During this week’s meeting, Members will share insights, experiences and effective strategies to enhance fisheries management, explicitly considering ecological, social, economic, nutritional and gender objectives. The discussion will be particularly geared towards improving practices in small-scale fisheries both inland and marine, fostering a holistic approach to sustainable management.

Members will also discuss ways to assess the magnitude and impact of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. This includes reviewing monitoring, control and surveillance systems, as well as enforcement requirements, and improving compliance with international conservation and management measures.

FAO has undertaken various activities to support Members in transitioning to climate resilient fisheries management, and this issue is to feature during the session. The Sub-Committee is expected to share lessons learned towards integrating climate change into national and multilateral fisheries management and governance and recommend areas that need further development, including increasing the adaptive capacity of fisheries operations and assets.

The importance of integrating biodiversity considerations in fisheries management within the context of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity is also on the agenda.

Better statistics on the horizon

During the session, Members will review methodological updates to FAO’s State of Stocks Index (SoSI), which has been published every two years since 1971 and presented in FAO’s flagship The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) report since 1997.

FAO is the only organization mandated to collect such statistics worldwide. The proposed updates aim to enhance transparency, geographical coverage, and measurement accuracy to better reflect  changes in dominant species, stocks and fisheries practices and align with reporting initiatives and requirements.

COFI, a Technical Committee of FAO,, is the only global inter-governmental forum where major international fisheries and aquaculture problems and issues are examined and recommendations addressed to governments, regional fishery bodies, NGOs, fish workers, FAO Members and the international community.

COFI already has two other sub-committees: one on aquaculture and another on the fish trade. With the creation of the Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management, there is now a third sub-committee entirely dedicated to sustainable fisheries management.

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Otokunor offers support to Berekum goat farmer, calls on MoFA to assist him

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An agriculture entrepreneur and leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Peter Otokunor, has reached out with support to the founder of Semanhyia Farms, Fredrick Benneh Frimpong.

Semanhyia Farms has been in the news for the past two weeks over an order by local traditional authorities at Senease near Berekum for his farm operations in the locality to cease because of customary reasons.

The confusion and agitation among many people about the issue stem from the perplexing decision to first allow the operations to commence despite the clear knowledge that local custom forbid their gods to coexist with goats because it is a taboo.

Moreover, the operators were granted a five-year period of operation only to be given a mere two weeks to completely wind up their activities.

In a Facebook post, Dr Boamah Otokunor, who runs a commercial farm, said the situation the farmer finds himself in is heart-breaking.

According to him, “As a Ghanaian agripreneur, you are confronted with a myriad of economic, managerial and human resource challenges. Having to deal with such a socio-cultural challenge in addition will be the biggest blow ever to agribusiness.”

“Farming in Africa, please kindly reach out and let’s explore possible ways of support and partnership to relocate.”

Beyond his personal offer of support to the Semanhyia Farms, he went on, “ I want to use this opportunity to call on the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong to take swift action in aid of Semenhyia Farm, to save the business of the young agriprenuer and the hundreds of employees working there.

“Agriculture remains the most potent avenue for exponential economic growth and massive job creation. It remains in government’s interest to support and encourage young minds who venture into it, other than scare them away from it,” portions of his post on Facebook stated.

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Poultry farmers call govt for support amidst rising maize price

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The Greater Accra Regional Poultry Farmers Association is calling on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for support in reducing maize price.

During an award ceremony of the Association, the Chief Executive Officer for the association, Isaac Awuzah revealed that there has been a price increase in poultry feed, making it a challenge for the Association.

Mr Awuzah highlighted the decrease in maize production as a mechanism of a high maize price, urging the Ministry to intervene for the Association to obtain maize at a moderate price.

According to him, the hike in maize price contributes to the increase in feeding prices, affecting the poultry industry.

“We are urging the ministry to help us get them at a cheaper rate because if there is a decrease in maize, it also affects the prices of feeding, eggs, and poultry. We would appreciate it if the Ministry of Food and Agriculture come to our aid.”

He also urged the feed suppliers to be considerate to reduce their burden.

The president of the Association, Kwame Anim Somoah, also emphasized some measures put in place to enhanc production.

“We have experts who educate our farmers regularly on what to do to improve the business, including cleanliness.”

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