Since becoming the Mobile Money partner for the Visa Foundation funded ‘Rice Mobile Finance project partner, RiMiFin, Tigo Cash, has facilitated the transfer of about $345,765 via the electronic mobile money platform to over 1,800 smallholder rice farmers.

According to the local rice farmers in Asutuare, Weta and Kpong in the Eastern region and parts of the Volta region, Tigo Cash has made a significant contribution to their livelihoods because prior to the project in 2014, they were exclusively dependent on cash payments from aggregators and buyers.

This posed serious challenges to their entire rice farming supply chain system as there were consistent delays in payments to the farmers.

For Eric Glatse, one of the rice farmers in the Kpong district, prompt payments through Tigo Cash meant he could pay his farm workers on time and also buy supplies for the subsequent farming season.

“The added benefit of the mobile money wallet was such a relief, I don’t have to walk around with bulk cash right after harvest at the risk of robbers attacking me while in transit.”

The Ghana Country Manager of Agri-Business Systems International (ASI), Dr. Betty Annan, one of the project partners gave positive reviews about Ghana’s most convenient and secure mobile money platform.

“The partnership with Tigo Cash is yielding excellent results. The farmers are able to track their payment and have quick and easy access to their funds in any location on any day of the week and more convenient times even outside formal banking hours,” she said.

The Chief Executive Officer for Tigo, Roshi Motman, explained the primary objective of the partnership was to improve the livelihoods of smallholder rice farmers by ensuring financial inclusion and easy access to banking services.

“I am particularly happy that were able to create an eco-system of cashless payments where the farmers could receive prompt payment for rice purchased after harvest, purchase local supplies and also send monies to their families for their upkeep,” she said.

The project partners for RiMiFin include Agribusiness Systems International (ASI), the Global Agri-Development Company Limited (GADCO), USAID, Tigo and the Visa Foundation.