Audio By Carbonatix
A technology called Dry Card has been introduced by Faranaya Agribusiness Ltd and 2SCALE to support sorghum farmers, aggregators and agribusinesses in the Upper East region of Ghana in managing moisture content in grains to reduce post-harvest losses.
The technology was first developed by the Horticulture Innovations Lab under the Feed the Future Initiative.
Given the potential of the technology in post-harvest management, it is being promoted by a development programme called Towards Sustainable Clusters in Agribusiness through Learning in Entrepreneurship (2SCALE) and Faranaya Agribusiness Ltd for the first time in the north.
The programme is focused on incubating inclusive agribusinesses essentially to ensure food and nutrition security and stability in Africa through the development of public-private partnerships.
Mr Jalil Zakaria, country Team Leader of 2SCALE in Ghana told participants at a workshop organised in Bolgatanga that his outfit tailored its intervention to support food value chains in the area of animal protein, staple crops such as rice, maize, sorghum, cassava, fresh produce (onion) and oilseeds such as soya and groundnuts.
He said most farmers had challenges in determining moisture levels in grains before harvest and during storage.
“Because of the lack of the means to purchase expensive moisture metres in the market. The dry card is, however, an affordable mechanism to support farmers in particular to check moisture content in grains and is expected to improve grain quality for the market and consequently increase the income of farmers by selling quality grains.
According to him, the first phase of 2SCALE was implemented between 2012 and 2018 and the new phase of five years was between 2019 to 2023 and was implemented in eight African countries namely Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Cote d'Ivoire.
2SCALE is expected to incubate and accelerate agri-businesses around business champions in the food value chains that integrate smallholder farmers and Bottom of the Pyramid consumers.
He noted that for a partnership in 2Scale to be complete, it must fulfil three dimensions, which entail a business lead, producer organisations and Bottom of Pyramid consumers.
Mr. Zakaria said 2 SCALE had plans to Improve livelihoods of 750,000 smallholders farmers of which 50 per cent would be women and 40 per cent youth.
The programme also targets 1,000,000 low consumers with nutritious foods, which would be produced and sold by the agribusinesses in a PPP arrangement.
According to him, the programme would develop inclusive businesses with 5,000 micro small and mediums enterprises and develop 60 public-private partnerships in all 2SCALE countries in Africa.
Mr Clifford Yeboah- Manson from Abraham Offori Ltd distributors of the technology said the Dry Card contained a cobalt strip and when placed in grains at airtight conditions, it determines the moisture content.
The cobalt strip changes colour which gives the degree to which grains are dried.
"For many of our farmers, who are illiterates, the colour change becomes an easy means to determine how dried their grains are before selling".Mr Manson noted.
Mr Manson added that only Agro input dealers would be provided with the Dry Card for distribution and sales to interested farmers and agriculture business enterprises.
2SCALE is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the interventions are being implemented by a consortium of organisations including; the Bop Innovation Centre (Bo Pinc), The International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) and SNV.
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