Agriculture is the backbone of Ghana’s economy, employing a significant portion of the population and contributing to the nation’s food security. However, smallholder farmers in Ghana face numerous challenges, including limited access to affordable fertilizers, which hampers their productivity and economic growth. In a remarkable initiative, Sustain Africa and the Export Trading Group (ETG) have joined forces to launch an initiative aimed at providing affordable fertilizers to smallholder farmers in Ghana. This innovative collaboration is designed to mitigate the adverse effects of inflation by providing affordable fertilizers to smallholder farmers. By stabilizing fertilizer prices, the initiative hopes that farmers will be able to achieve high productivity and profitability, even during challenging economic times.

The Sustain Africa ETG AGRI INPUTS GHANA Initiative will focus on making high-quality fertilizers accessible and affordable to empower farmers, enhance their agricultural practices, and enable them to maximize their yields. Under this project, smallholder farmers will be able to access 50-kilogram bags of ammonium sulphate fertilizer at a special discounted rate of GH250, significantly lower than the standard market price of GH300. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to obtain 50-kilogram bags of NPK 23-10 fertilizer for only GH300, as opposed to the market price of GH450. This initiative aims to provide affordable fertilizers to smallholder farmers, empowering them to enhance their agricultural productivity and maximize their yields while mitigating the financial burden typically associated with purchasing fertilizers.

The success of the Sustain Africa and ETG Initiative hinges on collaborative efforts from various stakeholders. Governments, international organizations, private sector entities, and local communities must work together to ensure the availability, affordability, and effective distribution of fertilizers to smallholder farmers. Such collaboration can foster long-term sustainability, create inclusive agricultural value chains, and promote socio-economic development.

Sustain Africa is an Agriculture Emergency Response Collaborative Platform for Africa which aims at Enhancing Agriculture Value Chains and Food Systems in Africa. Sustain Africa activities in Ghana are currently being executed by the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), an independent non-profit, social enterprise. AFAP is a founding member of Sustain Africa is the leading implementing partner for various intervention across the continent.