A project aimed at boosting food production and addressing key constraints in the agriculture value chain in Northern Ghana has been launched in Tamale.
Dubbed “Savannah Agricultural Value Chain Development Programme (SADEP), the project is expected to contribute to the government’s industrialisation agenda, support Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ), skills development and entrepreneurship for women and youth, and build resilient food systems in the north.
The five-year project is being initiated by the Savannah Agricultural Improvement Programme (SAPIP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture with a $32.53 million grant from the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) and the government of Ghana.
The project interventions would include producing over 8,000 of crops, 50,000 guinea fowls, 50,000 broilers, and 50,000 layers as initial input for commercial poultry production, in accordance with the government subsidy policy.
At least, 5,000 women-headed households in vulnerable communities would be supported with 50,000 guinea fowls with each household receiving 10 birds for rearing to enhance farm income and household nutrition.
Overview
Giving the overview of the project at the launch in Tamale last Tuesday, the National Project Coordinator of SAPIP, Felix Dramani, said the project sought to build on successes under the SAPIP and Savannah Investment Programme (SIP) that had so far expanded the production of maize and soybean from 80 hectares in 2018 to 14,000 hectares in 2021.
“Inputs such as fertilisers and seeds will be provided to commercial farmers and their out-growers to boost local production of rice, soybean and maize,” he said.
Mr Dramani added that 20,000 jobs would be created under the project and it was expected that 40 per cent of those jobs would go to women and the youth.
He stated that it would be implemented in nine districts in the five regions of the north and would go a long way to address key constraints in food security and the poultry and livestock feed industry.
Commendation
For his part, the deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Crops, Yaw Frimpong Addo, lauded the AfDB for the continued support which was transforming the agricultural sector and the lives of the people.
He said the overall objective of the SEDAP project was to ensure national climate-resilient food and nutrition security, create employment and contribute to industrialisation.
Global crises.
The Country Manager of AfDB, Eyerusalem Fasika, said the project was designed to help the government mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian/Ukraine war.
“We believe that prioritising key agricultural value chains in different agro-ecological zones of Ghana will create the platform and support needed to catalyse investment, and unlock Ghana’s potential for transformation,” she said.
The country manager added that the country had the technologies, private sector and the youth to achieve food sovereignty and develop innovative flagships to make sure that stakeholders, especially smallholder entrepreneurs, women and youth were not left behind.
Ms Fasika reiterated her outfit’s commitment to continue to support the agricultural sector to help ensure food security.
The honey industry involves the production and sale of honey, as well as other bee-derived products such as beeswax, propolis, and royal jelly.
The industry has been growing in recent years due to the increasing demand for natural sweeteners and the health benefits associated with honey.
Fortune Business Insights has forecasted the worldwide honey industry to increase at a CAGR of 5.83% from $8.53 billion in 2022 to $12.69 billion by 2029.
1. TURKEY
Centauri Honey: $11,000/kg
Turkey is home to some of the most expensive honey varieties in the world. These include Elvish honey, which is obtained from deep caves, and Centauri honey, which is cultivated at an altitude of 2,500 meters above sea level.
Centauri Honey is the world’s most expensive honey due to its rarity as it is only harvested once a year.
The bee colony is kept away from human residences and other colonies to ensure its purity and safety, and only natural herbs and plants are used to deter parasites. It is only harvested once per year to ensure that there is enough honey to sustain bees.
2. NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand32+ UMF Limited Reserve Manuka Honey: $5,200/KG.
New Zealand produces a large variety of honey, each with its distinct taste, hue, quality, and benefits.
The country is able to produce many famous honey varieties, including kamahi honey, beechwood honeydew, and manuka honey, due to the diversity of its natural flowers and pollination.
Some of the top honey brands in New Zealand include New Zealand Honey Co., Steens, Comvita Limited, Oha Honey LP, and Streamland Biological Technology Ltd.
Manuka honey is the most famous honey variety from New Zealand, and it is made from the nectar of manuka tree flowers, native to isolated regions of the country, which only blooms for two to six weeks a year.
Comvita Limited (OTC:CVNZF) is a New Zealand-based company that specializes in producing and selling manuka honey.
3. YEMEN
Sidr Honey: $1000/kg
The honey from Yemen is regarded as one of the finest honey in the world. Among several high-quality honey varieties, Royal Sidr Honey takes the crown as the best honey from Yemen. It is made from the wild Sidr tree’s blooms, which are found in Yemen’s uncultivated desert regions.
Sidr honey is only harvested in winter through manual labor using simple tools, smoke, and sharp knives. Sidr trees found in Yemen are of the highest quality as they grow naturally without any pesticides, chemicals, or fertilizers.
The honey’s exceptional quality, therapeutic value, and transportation challenges all contribute to its price. Other Yemeni varieties include doani honey, al-osaimi honey, samar honey, and al-marai honey.
4. MALAYSIA
Tualang Black Honey: $500/kg
Malaysia boasts one of the most biodiverse flora, with over 15,000 species of vascular plants. The honey varieties such as Kelulut, Acacia, and Tualang produced in Malaysia are known to have amazing health benefits.
Several pure honey brands, such as Capilano Pure Honey, Country Farm Organics Honey, CED Pure Honey, and LOHAS Premium Raw Honey, operate in Malaysia.
The Tualang Black Honey is among the most expensive honey varieties due to its health benefits and difficulty of obtaining it.
The honey is gathered from combs on the towering Tualang trees because the bees are fiercely defensive and cannot be tamed.
5. ISRAEL.
Life Mel Honey: $453.5/kg
Israel is aptly called the land of milk and honey because of the country’s rich history of cultivating honey. The most sought-after honey in Israel is made from Mount Hermon’s blossoms.
Beekeepers require special military authorization to gather it as it is one of the last remaining wilderness areas of the country untouched by any industrial crops.
Life Mel Honey from Israel is among the top honey varieties in the world.
The honey bees are fed on a special food mixture which causes the honey to develop a unique taste and the therapeutic benefits of natural ingredients and herbs used in the feed.
6. GREECE
Golden Thyme Honey From Ikaria: $250/kg
Greece has an advantage over other European honey producers in terms of quality since the majority of its honey originates from uncultivated environments that are devoid of chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers.
Some of the popular varieties of Greek honey include thyme honey, pine honey, citrus honey, fir honey, and heather honey.
The golden thyme honey from Ikaria is considered one of the most expensive honey because the bees in Ikaria exclusively gather nectar from medicinal herbs, pines, and other local flora.
The quantity of this honey is also limited because the Ikarian people still use the same harvesting method they did decades ago, which also keeps the quality of honey unchanged.
7. THAILAND
Stingless Bee Honey: $216/kg
Even though Thailand is a relatively small supplier in the honey market, Thai honey is in demand due to its purity and quality.
Among all the varieties, the Stingless Bee Honey is among the most valuable honey variety in the country.
The high price of this honey is due to its therapeutic and psycho-chemical aspects. It has natural hydrating, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial qualities that promote wound healing.
Another factor that draws a lot of customers is the honey’s high concentration of flavonoids and polyphenols in comparison to other honey varieties.
8. ETHIOPIA
White Honey from Tigray Mountains: $215.9/kg
Ethiopia is the biggest natural honey-producing nation in Africa. It is home to roughly 10 million wild colonies and about 6 million controlled bee colonies.
The most distinctive type of honey in Ethiopia is the White Honey from Tigray Mountains, which has a particular flavor and color thanks to a variety of native plants that thrive there.
The Tigray White honey is also expensive since it is produced in limited quantities, and the bees must go far distances for pollination because of the drought in the Tigray mountain region.
Ethiopia also produces other famous honey varieties such as wenchi volcano honey, wolisso honey, shalala honey, and horde honey.
9. RUSSIA
Bashkirian Honey: $130-220/kg
Russia is among the top honey producers in the world.
The country produces a large variety of honey, including buckwheat honey, lime honey, broom-heather honey, and chestnut honey.
The Bashkirian honey is the rarest and most expensive honey variety produced in Russia because it is produced at a high-altitude zone free of pollution and is only harvested once every year.
Honey bees combine nectars from many plants, including a significant share of linden nectar, to create Bashkirian honey, giving it a distinctive flavor.
10. SPAIN
Miel Lo Mejor del Bierz: $162/kg
Spain is among the leading European honey-producing countries. Several monofloral honey varieties are found in Spain, including orange blossom, rosemary, eucalyptus, thyme, and chestnut.
The honey from the El Bierzo district in Spain is considered the most expensive honey in Europe because a huge amount of work is required to produce it.
Honey bees have to travel almost 7,000 km to collect nectars from almost 200,000 to 250,000 flowers just to produce 1 kg of Miel Lo Mejor del Bierz honey.
The honey variety is also famous throughout the Arab world because of its halal certification.
11. FRANCE
Opéra Garnier Honey: $129.6/kg
France is an excellent feeding ground for bees, and all 22 of its regions produce honey. Numerous honey varieties are produced throughout the nation, including Miel des Cévennes, Miel de Sapin des Vosges, Miel de Corse, Miel d’Alsace, and Miel de Provence.
The honey from Opéra Garnier is the most valuable as it is extracted from the roofs of Opéra Garnier, which is one of the most celebrated monuments in Paris, giving this honey variety a unique and symbolic background.
Another reason why Opéra Garnier honey is among the most expensive varieties is its limited annual supply of 500 Kg.
12. NEPAL
Himalayan Honey: $120.5/kg
Beekeeping is practiced by more than 50,000 households in Nepal. The country has both multi-floral and uni-floral honey due to its diverse flora.
There are also some unique honey varieties emanating from Nepal from fruit trees, such as citrus, wild cherry, and lychee.
Among all the varieties, Himalayan honey is the most valuable due to its rarity and difficulty of obtaining it.
The honey hunters of Gurung tribes climb 200-300 meters by hand-made rope ladders to harvest honey twice a year.
It is produced by Himalayan giant bees that gather nectar from delicate rhododendron and wildflower petals, giving the honey psychedelic properties.
13. AUSTRALIA
Manuka Honey MGO 100+: $107.9/kg
In Australia, honey bees may visit over 700 native blooming plants to gather nectar and pollen to make honey.
The country is home to several famous honey varieties, including jarrah, banksia, leatherwood, mallee, and karri honey. Among all the varieties, manuka honey is the most expensive and is known for its health benefits and purity.
The price of manuka honey varies depending on its MGO rating. Australia’s most famous honey brands include Beechworth, Capilano, Aldi Bramwells, Woolworths, and Coles.
Capilano Honey Limited (CZZ.AX) is an example of an Australian company that produces and sells honey and other bee-related products.
14. MEXICO
Avocado Honey: $63.45/kg
Mexico is one of the biggest honey exporters in the world. Mexican avocado honey is one of the rarest honey varieties in the world.
It is produced by bees feeding on avocado trees growing in the world’s largest and oldest avocado plantation, which is located 5000 ft above sea level in the Michoacan highlands of Western Mexico.
The avocado honey provides immunity from pollen allergies of avocado and other flowers found within the region. It is also beneficial for the skin if used as a skin mask.
15. United StatesTupelo Honey: $61.72/kgThe United States produced a total of 126 million pounds of honey in 2021.
The country produces well-known honey varieties, including kiawe honey, eucalyptus honey, mountain wildflower honey, buckwheat honey, spring blossom chunk honey, and tupelo honey.
Tupelo honey is the most expensive variety because of its rarity, as the Apalachicola River Basin, Florida, is the only place where tupelo trees may grow in large stands.
The high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) rating is among its many advantages, which indicates that it has the amazing ability to shield the skin from damage caused by the sun and other environmental irritants.
The United States is home to some of the biggest honey brands in the world, such as Barkman Honey LLC, Beeyond the Hive, and Dutch Gold Honey Inc. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM) is a US-based multinational food processing and commodities trading corporation that produces and markets honey products.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Offinso South in the Ashanti Region, Dr Isaac Yaw Opoku, has urged the government to extend the Cocoa Farmers’ Pension Scheme to cover all farmers in cocoa growing regions across the country to motivate them to “stick to” cocoa farming.
He said extending the scheme, which was piloted in the Western North and the Ashanti regions, would encourage farmers to stop ceding their cocoa farms to other competing land uses, particularly illegal mining and rubber cultivation.
“This will also help our cherished cocoa farmers to enjoy decent and sustainable pension when they retire from active cocoa farming,” he stated.
Dr Opoku made the call when he presented a statement to mark the National Chocolate Day in Parliament yesterday.
This year’s celebration was held on the theme, “Eat chocolate, stay healthy and grow Ghana”.
Cocoa productionDr Opoku said as Ghanaians celebrated the national chocolate day, they must not lose sight of the factors which militated against cocoa production in Ghana.
He said in the 2020/2021 cocoa season, production in Ghana stood at 1,045,500 metric tonnes, the highest production ever in Ghana’s history.
Surprisingly however, he said one year on, production had dropped to 683,268.9 metric tonnes in the 2021/2022 season, representing 34.6 per cent decline.
That, he said, was the lowest production in the country since the 2009/2010 season.
“Mr Speaker, although several factors may account for the sharp decline, principal among them is the effect of illegal mining, popularly referred to as ‘galamsey’.
“Mr Speaker, if the rate of destruction of cocoa farms as a result of galamsey activities is allowed to continue, in no time, our enviable position as the second largest producer of quality premium cocoa in the world will be lost and there will be very little to celebrate in the future,” he said.
Quality beansThe MP indicated that to ensure availability of adequate quality cocoa beans for local processing and export, farmers must be encouraged to adopt the productivity enhancement programmes introduced by the Ghana Cocoa Board in 2017.
He also emphasised the need for soil moisture stress in cocoa farms as a result of climate change to also be addressed.
“Ghana Cocoa Board must endeavour to extend the pilot irrigation programme started in 2017 to cover many more medium and large-scale farmers.
“Mr Speaker, the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana must also intensify ongoing research in the development of drought resistant or tolerant cocoa varieties that suit the marginal cocoa growing areas of Ghana,” the MP added.
Dr Opoku told the House that for Ghana to make gains in its cocoa crop, efforts must be made to support the sustainable production of cocoa and local processing of cocoa beans.
“Let us patronise made-in-Ghana chocolate and cocoa products and let us say no to the destruction of cocoa farms for galamsey activities and the pollution of our water bodies which serve as sources of water for irrigation of our cocoa farms,” he added.
Under a three-phase pilot, a total of 114 agriculture entrepreneurs have undergone a 4- week of intensive and practical training targeted at youth in the Ashanti and Western regions of Ghana.
The four year SNV-GrEEn project with the United Nations Capital Development Fund is funded by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The training was targeted at strengthening Agri-business.
In supporting skills development, SNV Ghana through its GrEEn Project, partnered with the Kwadaso Agricultural College and the Ghana Education Service to train and award a national General Agriculture certificate to entrepreneurs in the agriculture value chain.
Vice Principal of the Kwaadaso Agric College, Dr. Isaq Shaibu underscored the significance of such initiatives.
The skills development adviser of SNV Ghana, Dorcas Hammond says the programme is to nurture the skills of participants in Agriculture development.
Participants who benefitted from the programme said, it will help contribute to the growth of their farm works.
With Africa holding the world’s largest arable lands, Africans are being urged to restore their passion for agriculture.
This is because it is the next sustainable sector to revive their economy particularly at a time when global shocks are badly impacting their economies.
The acting Global President for the International Peace and Governance Council (IPHC), Dr Jonathan Ojadah, said the exposure to the oil boom has pushed some countries to deviate from agriculture such that the practice of subsistence agriculture, which used to be a source of livelihood for many, has stopped.
Dr Ojadah made the call last Friday in an interview with the media at the 11th Pan African Leadership, Investment Summit and Honours in Accra.
Organised by IPHC-Ghana in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Arts and Culture, the summit brought together Africa investors to discuss various investment opportunities on the continent.
It was on the theme: “Peaceful Coexistence and Synergy for African Development”.
“Most countries are still undergoing recession so we deem it necessary that we advise every country to take their agricultural investment opportunities seriously because we believe that with food security, hunger will be eradicated.
When hunger is eradicated we can achieve sustainable peace and it is on the back of sustainable peace that investment promotion can survive,” he said.
He said his outfit has embarked on a sustainable agricultural project which he believes will create a lot of good security for the populace.
“We at UNIPGC are partnering the United Nations Association of Ghana to implement the zero hunger agenda of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of the UN to project the role of agriculture in sustaining the economy towards national development,” he added.
Ensuring sustainable development
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ibrahim Awal, said:
“Africa has so much resources but benefits from just a little, therefore, it’s time to seek the opinions of the traditional authorities, religious leaders and civil society organisations to ensure inclusive and sustainable development.
In this vein, with the multi-party democracy that most African countries have chosen, it’s imperative to harness its potential for peace and development on the continent.”
The term Agriculture is derived from two Latin words ager or agri meaning soil and cultura or Cultus meaning cultivation. Agriculture is the science of cultivating the soil, harvesting crops, and raising livestock and also the science or art of the production of plants and animals useful to man and in varying degrees the preparation of such products for man’s use.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is supporting two anchor farms to scale up poultry production and processing as part of the Rearing for Food and Jobs programme.
As part of its efforts to help address poverty among cocoa farmers in the country, their household,s and the communities they live in; Cocoa Abrabopa Association (CAA) in partnership with Ritter Sports GmbH & Co KG, Fuchs & Hoffmann, and Ascot Amsterdam has taken another judicious step by supporting farmer groups with additional livelihood intervention initiatives in the Western South Region of Ghana.
You should start by sitting down (along with your spouse and any partners, financiers or managers) and assessing your situation. Have a brainstorming session; write down your thoughts or record the session. Don’t be afraid to dream, to imagine some pretty wild ideas. Think big. Imagine you could do anything; don’t be limited by practicality at this stage. Think of goals. Try to fill needs or supply possible markets. Think of new ways to use a resource you already have.
Get additional ideas from what others are doing and from published resources, watch for new and developing trends, such as public concerns about saturated fats, or growing biofuels.
Get realistic
After you have brainstormed for ideas, then it is time to be more realistic. What are your short-term and long-term goals and needs? Just for supplementary income or to start a whole new business? Do you want steady year-round income or will a seasonal operation meet your needs? Go through your ideas and pick out several that seem the most promising.
Naturally, you would like to make a profit right away, but many ventures will have sizeable start-up costs and/or may not get into the black for several years, such as growing tree fruit or pulpwood. Can you round up the needed capital—from loans, grants or investors? Check into the possibility of grants or matching funds from state or federal agencies or from private foundations. What is the likely cash-flow?
Make out a detailed (as best you can) business plan and projected budget—for each year for five or ten years. If this is too much for you to handle, there are professional small business advisers available. Some government agencies provide their service at no cost.
Now, do you still want to try that idea? Is it a wise, practical idea? Think about it for a while. Discuss it with your family and others whose opinion you trust. Could your new venture survive an unexpected disaster such as illness or injury, or a devastating storm? Don’t rush into anything. Probably it would be best to start small and see how things go. Don’t risk everything at once.
Suggestions
Following are some pointers from the book How to Make $100,000 Farming 25 Acres by Booker T. Whatley (1987):
Produce only what your customers want.
Produce high-value commodities (plants or animals) in such a way that different ones are ready to market at different times of year, thus providing year-round income and employment. Diversify into unusual products.
Be located on a hard-surfaced road within 40 miles of an urban centre of at least 50,000 population.
Run a pick-your-own operation, so that much of the labour is done by the customer.
Have a guaranteed market with a clientele membership club with an annual membership fee (community-supported agriculture).
Be weatherproof, with drip and/or sprinkler irrigation.
