One of the major companies in Ghana’s agriculture industry, RMG Ghana Limited, has announced a 100,000 cedis support package to encourage Ghanaian farmers to keep up with agricultural production to prevent food scarcity as the country institutes measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The gesture will also benefit other stakeholders such as technical staff and distributors to go about their duties to enhance food security.
Speaking to Citi Business News during a presentation of assorted items including soap, hand sanitizers and personal protective equipment to representatives of farmer-based groups across the country, the Managing Director of the company, William Kotey, said the support programme, which includes a sensitization campaign by health experts in farming communities, will help boost the confidence of farmers to continue production while adhering to all the health protocols to protect themselves against the virus.
He called on farmers, technical staff, and agro-product distributors to continue doing business with RMG Ghana Limited as the company makes strenuous efforts to satisfy its customers through the provision of its products and services.
The Commercial Manager of the company, Martin Tettey Nartey, said that despite the havoc caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, RMG Ghana Limited has been able to secure all its inputs supply for farmers for the impending major seasons of the Northern Regions and the rest of the seasons of the Southern Regions.
“Just as the current season of the Southern Regions, from Friday, May 8, 2020, all inputs required by farmers across the country will be stocked at all distributor outlets and farmers can purchase them at approved subsidized values as per the 2020 Planting for Food and Jobs campaign,” he said
“In addition to offering credit packages to RMG-registered farmers, the company is also sacrificing part of its margins to make farmers comfortable with discounts on products,” he added.
According to him, RMG Ghana is in negotiations with its international suppliers to ensure other needs of farmers such as hybrid seeds and crop protection products are flown under special arrangements in spite of the difficulties in international shipments.
Benjamin Nyarkpo, a member of the National Seed Trade Association of Ghana (NASTAG), lauded RMG Ghana for the initiatives, and called on farmer-based groups to support the programme to ensure food security.