By Philip Tengzu
Wa, (UW/R), June 24, GNA – The Guinness Ghana Breweries (GGB) PLC, in partnership with the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), has announced an initiative to enhance the production of high-quality white sorghum for industrial use.
The initiative: “Partnership for Sustainable Sorghum Sourcing in Ghana (P3SG) Project”, the first of its kind between GGB PLC and SNV, would be implemented in northern Ghana from 2023 to 2028.
The five-year project was expected to empower over 12,500 smallholder and commercial farmers, including women and youth, to produce 72,375 metric tons of sorghum within the project period.
This was in a statement signed by Madam Helene Weesie, the Managing Director of GGB PLC and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Wa.
“The goal is to create a thriving and sustainable white sorghum supply chain that enables farmers to view sorghum as a profitable business crop within sustainable farming systems”, the statement said.
The statement said the inability of farmers to produce sorghum to meet the demands of GGB PLC stemmed from “poor yields resulting from inadequate access to production resources, including improved seeds, agro-inputs such as fertilizers, financial services for investment in production, and climate variabilities.”
Madam Weesie said GGB PLC was committed to doing business in the right way and its operations were sustainably designed to empower farmer organisation to effectively engage a large number of farmers, promote mutual understanding of quality and supply standards across the supply chain, and equitable pricing and contracting terms for a profitable business for all,
She explained that the company was also committed to improving “production techniques to enhance yield and quality while meeting environmental and quality standards, and active involvement of women and youth in production and trading to create new dynamics in the sub-sector.”
The statement also referenced Mr Pieter Spaarman, the Country Director of SNV Ghana, as saying that the SNV had expertise and knowledge in the agricultural sector with over three decades of work experience in the sector since they began working in Ghana.
He said the aim of SNV was to promote agri-foods and that their collaboration with GGB PLC and other value chain actors was timely to deliver and support outputs through effective integration of the local sorghum supply chain.
Mr Spaarman said in the statement that: “We look forward to improving livelihoods of farmers, increasing access to basic services and safeguarding sustainable and quality practices along the white sorghum value chain in Ghana.”
The statement said the P3SG Project was a significant step towards creating a sustainable, thriving and profitable business environment for sorghum farmers in Ghana.
It added that the GGB PLC and SNV were committed to working closely with all stakeholders to achieve the objectives of the project and to make a positive impact on the livelihoods of farmers, particularly women and youth.
“According to the African Postharvest Losses Information System (APHLIS), in 2018, Ghana’s total sorghum production was estimated at 278,000 tonnes, mostly red sorghum with only a small portion of white sorghum allocated to large-scale industrial breweries.
Postharvest grain losses accounted for approximately 12% of total production, indicating substantial room for increasing local sorghum sourcing for breweries without compromising food security in the region”, the statement indicated.
GNA