Prez. Akufo-Addo commissions Omnifert Fertiliser factory

President Akufo-Addo has commissioned the OmniFert Fertiliser Factory, a wholly-owned Ghanaian fertiliser manufacturing company at Dawhenya in the Greater Accra Region.

The commissioning ceremony was held on Friday, September 6, 2019, and the President applauded the promoters of this project for the work they have done in establishing a world-class facility, which, when its second phase is completed, will make it the largest indigenous blending plant in the country.

Emphasising the importance of the factory, the President stated the creation of a buoyant agricultural sector is at the heart of his government’s transformation agenda, “because agriculture continues to be the anchor of the country’s economy.”

READ ALSO:  Prez. Akufo-Addo calls for new strategies to counter violent extremism

He said: today, through our flagship programme for the revival of Ghanaian agriculture, dubbed “Planting for Food and Jobs”, we have provided support to some 1 million smallholder farmers, who produced, last year, a bumper harvest.”

“For the first time in a very long while, we exported food to our neighbouring countries, and we have also signalled our intention to reduce rice imports by at least 50 percent this year. There is every indication that this year’s harvest will be even greater than last year’s.”

President Akufo-Addo also stated that the application of correct amounts of fertiliser will be a factor in multiplying yield and enhancing farmers’ incomes from the same acreage of land.

“That is why a key component of the programme for “Planting for Food and Jobs” is the provision of subsidised fertilisers to farmers,”

He, thus, applauded OmniFert for blending fertilisers locally, and offering the right blends to farmers according to their crops and specific soil types, explaining that “it will, surely, help create jobs for those of our youth interested in agriculture, and will increase productivity on our farms.”

The President speaking on the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda said: “we must produce more locally to satisfy the demands of the domestic market, and we must equally produce in excess to meet international demands. Companies like Omnifert can help in achieving our goal of making Ghana the agricultural hub of West Africa.”

President Akufo-Addo encouraged private sector players across all value chains of agriculture, such as improved seeds and fertiliser companies, and companies engaged in agricultural mechanisation, irrigation and water management, warehousing, food manufacturing and processing, logistics, cold storage and transportation, information technology and telecommunications, to join hands with government, and play their part in creating a Ghana Beyond Aid.

READ ALSO: Statue of Kofi Annan to be erected as Prez. Akufo-Addo cuts sod for project