Eagle Lager, a brand from Accra Brewery Limited brand brewed from locally grown cassava, has handed over a new furrow irrigation system and a solar powered mechanised borehole to farmers in Yikene, a community within the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly in the Upper East Region.The Ghc 80,000 project is the Eagle brand’s contribution to ensuring that farming activities in the area are sustained.

The initiative forms part of Accra Brewery Limited’s Sustainable Development Initiative to improve the livelihoods of rural farmers.  Speaking at the handing over ceremony at Yikene, the Upper East Regional Minister, James Zuugah Tiigah commended the company for the innovative initiative which will go a long way to ensure food security and further reduce poverty among over 200 households.

Mr Tiigah noted that “Yikene has a population of 850 people with about 201 households who are mainly farmers.  There are two distinct seasons in the north – the wet season spanning between May and September and a long dry season from October to March with hardly any rains.  It is within this long dry season that income and food supply levels become a challenge.  Therefore the project will offer an alternative to rain-fed agriculture, thereby enabling the farmers to cultivate during the dry season vegetable farming”.

The Senior Brands Manager of Accra Brewery Limited, Jerry Gokah noted that “sustainable development is a key ambition of the company and we believe that the long-term sustainability of our business depends on growing economies, healthy communities and responsible use of scarce natural resources.  In line with this, Eagle Lager is being developed as a Sustainable Development brand to “grow economies” through agro-based and social intervention programmes. 

Mr Gokah stressed that the Upper East Region was chosen as the Launchpad for the Eagle farmer initiative because the region is the biggest contributor to Eagle sales volumes.

The introduction of the Eagle Lager cassava beer brand by Ghana’s premier brewery in March 2013 has created a significant number of direct and indirect sources of employment for cassava farmers and others along the value chain.

The Yikene irrigation project brings ABL’s total package for the Farmers’s Day celebration to  GHC 120, 000 following the donation of 220 cases of assorted products plus a cheque for GHC 20,000. ABL recently inaugurated a $ 100m plant expansion project geared towards usage of more local raw materials.