Yara Ghana and USAID’s Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE) have partnered to boost productivity of farmers in Ghana
Under the project, about 13,000 smallholder farmers in Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions of northern Ghana will get technical assistance that will offer fertiliser application aid and extension services to shore up national crop productivity.
Yara Ghana said in a statement that under the partnership, the company is engaging smallholder farmers, of which 40 per cent are women, to learn the right protocol for fertiliser application. Extension agents from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture would also assist farmers to adhere to the protocols and get the best out of the fertilisers, it added.
The company is organising 130 crop demonstrations on maize and rice in the three chosen regions to train farmers on agronomic techniques, good agricultural practices, harvest and post-harvest handling.
Commercial director of Yara Ghana, Sergio Godoy, said, “We are very committed to smallholder farmers, who we see as central to our business as a leading fertiliser supplier.” He added that the company plans “to partner more institutions so long as it helps our overall goal of seeing the farmer gain access to quality fertilisers and knowledge about right time, right product and right place to apply the correct nutrients on every crop.”
The statement also quoted Adwoa Mensima Sey, public relations and communications specialist of USAID/ADVANCE as saying that the partnership was part of the project’s strategy to scale up private sector investment to increase agricultural productivity, increase market access and trade, and strengthen local capacity with a focus on the rice, maize, and soy value chains.
