$15 Million fertiliser factory inaugurated in Tema

YARA Ghana, a fertiliser and agricultural inputs dealer, has inaugurated a $15-million fertiliser terminal and factory in Tema to blend and package fertilisers for both local and international markets.

The facility, which has the capacity to blend and package 100 tonnes of fertiliser per hour, will employ at least 150 people as part of the government’s flagship ‘One district, One factory’ (1D1F) programme.

The terminal, with a storage capacity of more than 50,000 tonnes, is also expected to increase the supply of premium crop nutrition solutions to Ghanaian farmers to enable them to enhance production to improve on their livelihoods.

Event

At the ceremony last Wednesday, a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Robert Ahomka-Lindsay, said with the recognition of Ghana as a hub for trade and investment in the West African sub-region, the facility would help enhance exports and also create other business opportunities for Ghanaians.

“The opening of the new fertiliser terminal by Yara has the potential to bridge the gap between production and demand for fertiliser in the country which is of much interest to me in view of the government’s industrial transformation agenda,” he added.

Commendation

Mr Ahomka-Lindsay commended Yara Ghana for its decision to partner the government in its job creation drive.

According to him, since assuming office in January 2017, the government had prioritised the transformation and modernisation of the Ghanaian economy through initiatives such as the 1D1F programme.

According to the minister, the new facility would not only provide direct employment for more than 150 Ghanaians, but also create a network for more than 300 retailers and distributors of fertiliser across the country.

A Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Sagre Bambangi, said the government was embarking on developing irrigation through the modernisation of dams such as the ones at Tono and Kpong, as well as rehabilitating small-scale irrigation schemes to allow for all-year farming.

He noted that the establishment of the modern fertiliser plant would help boost farming activities for increased food production.

Significance

The Executive Vice-President of Yara International ASA, Mr Terje Knutsen, said agriculture played a crucial role in the economic development of a country.

He, therefore, said the new terminal offered his outfit the opportunity to support Ghana to improve on its agriculture sector for accelerated development.

For his part, the Managing Director of Yara Ghana Limited, Mr Danquah Addo-Yobo, said since the establishment of the company in Ghana in 2007, his outfit had played a significant role in partnering the government to develop the agriculture sector over the years.