The African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership’s (AFAP) board chairman, Dr Amos Namanga Ngongi, together with vice president Richard Mkandawire, visited a recipient of an Agribusiness Partnership Contract (APC), Sakant Enterprise Limited in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

Sakant enterprise limited is an Agro-chemical distributor in the Eastern Region of Ghana and supplies agricultural inputs, in addition to offering extension services to smallholder farmers.

Through the AFAP APC funding mechanism, Sakant Enterprise Limited has vowed to increase their storage capacity, enabling them to supply affordable fertilizer to farmers in the region.

The APC has allowed Sakant Enterprise Limited to start construction on a 6000 metric ton capacity fertilizer depot in Pankese near Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

The facility which is at the roofing stage is estimated to cost GH¢ 200,000 when completed.

“The APC will not only benefit the company, but it will benefit the region as a whole ­ ­—farmers who did not have access to fertilizer will now find affordable fertilizer on their doorstep,” said Mr Kwaku Amoah-Safo, Managing Director of Sakant Enterprise Limited.

It is expected that Sakant Enterprise Limited will be able to distribute 100,000 bags of fertilizers to farmers in eight districts in the Akyem, Kwahu and the Afram-Plains areas.

An APC is an AFAP mechanism developed by AFAP which allows AFAP to collaborate with agribusinesses in a bid to provide accessible and affordable fertilizer.

The chairman and the vice president were accompanied by AFAP’s West Africa regional director, Pierre Brunache and AFAP’s Ghana country manager, Francis Mensah.

The AFAP delegation was met by a group of smallholder farmers in the region.

“We plead with the AFAP team to continuously support downstream fertilizer distribution, this is the only way we will be able to increase our yields and incomes,” said Peter Nyarko, a smallholder farmers at Pankese.

“AFAP and its partners are committed to providing technical and business support to agribusinesses that will ensure affordable, accessible and timely fertilizer to smallholder farmers,” Dr Namanga Ngongi said.

He appealed to farmers and other stakeholders to take advantage of the project and apply the suitable and adequate quantities of fertilizer on their crops to increase food production in the country.

“We would like to thank Sakant Enterprise Limited for allowing AFAP to help them help smallholder farmers gain access to affordable fertilizer,” Dr Namanga Ngongi said to the enthusiastic crowd. He stressed the continual role AFAP would continue to play in efforts to make fertilizer accessible and affordable in the country.

Sakant Enterprise Limited was founded in 1993 to engage in retailing and wholesales of agricultural inputs as well as provision of extension services to farmers. It operates in Nkawkaw based in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

Construction on the warehouse is expected to be finished by June 2013.

For pictures of the visit, click here.