The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with OMANBAPA AgriTech Limited to establish an organic fertiliser production facility in the Bono Region.
The initiative is aimed at improving soil health, reducing dependence on inorganic fertilisers and boosting food production nationwide.
The project will convert agricultural waste including maize chaff and other crop residues into organic fertiliser.
It is also expected to create an additional income stream for farmers by purchasing crop waste that would otherwise go to waste, while advancing the government’s push for sustainable agriculture.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, said the initiative formed part of a long-term strategy to protect soil health and ensure sustainable food production for future generations.
He said the government was concerned about the condition of the soil and had therefore, embraced the initiative to safeguard it for the future.
Mr Opoku explained that before approving the fertiliser, the ministry referred it to the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) for technical assessment.
According to him, the directorate confirmed that the product met the required standards and had the potential to improve agricultural productivity.
He added that samples were distributed to selected farmers for field trials, and feedback had been positive, providing both technical and practical validation of the product’s effectiveness.
Mr Opoku also noted that the project would address two key challenges at once — supplying farmers with organic fertiliser while creating a ready market for agricultural residues such as maize chaff and other plant waste.
Instead of discarding such materials, he said, farmers would now earn additional income by selling them as raw materials for fertiliser production.
The minister added that the factory would serve both the local market and neighbouring West African countries, where interest in the product had already been expressed.
He assured the company of the ministry’s full support, stressing that collaboration with the private sector remained essential to achieving national food security, particularly as agriculture in Ghana was largely private sector-driven.
The Chief Executive Officer of OMANBAPA AgriTech Limited, Mr Bernard Oduro Takyi, pledged the company’s commitment to delivering the project on schedule.
He said the company believed in action over words and was determined to deliver, given its reputation.
Mr Takyi disclosed that the company planned to produce between 30,000 and 40,000 metric tonnes of blended organic fertiliser annually during the first phase of the project over the next 12 to 18 months.
He added that production capacity would increase to between 50,000 and 60,000 metric tonnes annually within three to five years, following the establishment of a fully integrated manufacturing facility.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
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