Yara Ghana to be hub for fertilizer distribution in Africa

Yara Ghana will serve as the African regional hub in the manufacture and distribution of mineral fertilizer to farmers across the continent.

With decades of experience on the continent, Yara provides crop nutrition products and unique agronomic knowledge in addition to investing across the African agricultural value chain.

Company officials from various countries are meeting in Ghana to discuss strategies for Yara's commitment to African agriculture.

“They want Yara Ghana to be in a position to be able to supply fertilizer to support other countries in Africa where Yara has branches; they want Yara Ghana to supervise the activities of all these countries”, said Henry Otoo Mensah, Retail Sales Manager at Yara Ghana.

According to him, the company is consolidating its support for the development of Africa's agricultural and food production sectors.

Yara, the world's leading mineral fertilizer company, sells fertilizers to about 25 African countries, maintains sales offices in eight, and owns four blending plants.

Since setting up shop in Ghana in 2007, the company has taken a leadership position in the market and invested in the establishment a bulk blending fertilizer production facility in Tema.

Yara Ghana has been strengthening the quality and depth of input supply and related services to increase the productivity of Ghanaian farmers.

Mr. Otoo-Mensah tells the Luv Biz Report that fertilizer use should be increased to meet food production targets.

“We need to produce more [but the] land that we have at our disposal is reducing, so within that small space that we have for agricultural purposes, we need to maximize agricultural productivity, that is where fertilizer comes in and Yara has developed its fertilizer to the extent that it's economical; once you apply it the right way, your yield will increase,” he stated.

Meanwhile, some farmers have complained that due to low supply, fertilizer may not last them the entire crop season.

However, Mr. Otoo-Mensah says that Yara cannot be blamed because the company only distributes its allocated quota under the government's Fertilizer Subsidy Program.

“The solution is in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to increase Yara's quota to enable us cover the small scale farmers' demand”, he explained.

Yara is a key partner to the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in developing sustainable agriculture, improving productivity and increasing production.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh/Luv Fm/Ghana