Nestlé Supports High Quality Maize Production

Dr. Emmanuel Dormon and Freda Duplan, Managing Director, Nestlé Ghana signing the agreement.

Nestlé Ghana and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement Programme (ADVANCE) have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure the regular supply of high quality agricultural commodities, especially maize in Ghana.

Under this new partnership, USAID ADVANCE and Nestlé Ghana will work together to build the capacity of farmers and aggregators in the three Northern regions to ensure farmers produce maize that meets Nestlé's quality standards.

The objective of the partnership, which will end in September 2018, is expected to increase the quality of grains in Ghana by training 113,000 farmers in agronomic, post-harvest protocols and good storage practices, which have been developed by Nestlé to reduce the mycotoxins in upstream value chain.

Freda Duplan, Managing Director, Nestlé Ghana, in her opening remarks, said the partnership agreement falls within the Nestlé Cereal Plan for advancing the company's commitment to increasing local sourcing as part of its Creating Shared Value initiatives.

“The Nestlé Cereal Plan aims at enabling farmers to produce better quality grain which will generate higher revenue for them and improve their livelihood,” she said.

She said Nestlé is committed to creating inclusive communities under its Rural Development Framework.

“Through Nestlé's knowledge leadership in the area of Research and Development, the Rural Development Framework continuously help to introduce new farming methods and technologies that can ensure sustainable grain production,” she explained.

Mrs. Duplan said through the partnership, the company aims to boost food security in the three Northern Regions.

“This will help in ensuring food safety for the farmers and their families for the community and for the consumers,” she added.

Dr. Emmanuel Dormon, Chief of Party for USAID-ADVANCE, in his statement, said the US funded project supports farmers to increase their productivity and improve access to high-end markets.

“Thus, we see this collaboration with Nestlé as an excellent opportunity and motivation for the smallholder farmers to further improve their agronomic and post-harvest management practices to meet the quality requirements of high-end industrial users,” said Emmanuel Dormon.

Nestlé Ghana is sourcing 100 percent of its cereals (maize, rice) locally from farmers for its Tema factory, and the company seeks to reduce current levels of mycotoxins and other contaminants in cereals.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri