Japan to support Ghana with grant to develop Ghana’s agric sector

The Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) is assisting Ghanas agric sector with over $2.8 million grant to commercialise vegetable cultivation in four regions in the country.

The fund is under the name Peri-urban Commercial Vegetables Value Chains for Poverty Reduction and Food Security.

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The fund is expected to be disbursed through the World Bank (WB).

The financial facility will also be used for the establishment of vegetable warehousing and irrigation systems for better post-harvest handling and market linkages in the Greater Accra, Western, Eastern and Volta regions.

The support is targeted at groups such as smallholder and less-resourced vegetable producers.

Objectives

Women and the youth in some selected communities in the four regions will benefit from this facility.

It will also promote irrigation schemes to facilitate all-year-round vegetable production and consumption, as well as develop the capacities of farmers to enable them to improve the productivity and quality of their produce.

Other objectives are reducing post-harvest losses through efficient post-harvest handling mechanisms and facilitation of access to high value markets to ensure appreciable income levels for farmers.

Partner

Reports show that the productive partner to participate in the project implementation process is B- BOVID Limited, a Takoradi-based Agro-farm entrepreneur.

The company would be providing the matching grant for the establishment of a cold chain centre (Vegetable Warehousing System), and would consequently manage the system to enhance efficiency.

Mr. Issa Ouedraogo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of B-BOVID says the Greater Accra Regions in Ghana will build the modern warehousing systems to stem the challenge of post-harvest losses.

The Western region in Ghana will also concentrate on the production of vegetables.