Ghana: Lotus Ecoculture to offset $35 billion food imports to Africa
Lotus Ecoculture has launched services seeking to offset the $35 billion annual food imports to the African continent.
The launch was done through its subsidiary, Mepe Farms Limited, an agricultural development company in Ghana. The company has been trading with smallholder farmer aggregators in the West African markets for over six years.
Lotus Ecooculture utilizes innovative and sophisticated technologies to deliver the highest yields and quality crops in a sustainable zero-waste production cycle.
The company specializes in organic grains and greenhouse vegetables.
A communique issued by the company indicated that Mepe Farms has partnered with several businesses and organizations that aim to alleviate poverty, improve food security, and foster economic growth including the Ministry of Food & Agriculture (Ghana) and TROTRO Tractor.
The company has acquired over 3,300 hectares of farmland in the Volta region, hoping to increase farming yields by up to 30%, “whilst maintaining a zero-waste, zero-chemical operation.”
It also aims to tackle rising food costs using innovative agronomic and agritech solutions, a fully-mechanised technological process, and zero-chemical input operation to boost growth in Ghana’s agricultural sector.
Read: GSA boss express concerns over no registered ‘Ghanaian-owned’ vehicle assembly plant
“All inputs are OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certified, bringing Ghana best-in-class organic inputs, available to farmers in the region at a discounted price.”
Both companies would be addressing the issue of lack of raw materials in animal feed production which has been a major setback in the sector, leading to frequent shortage of feed.
The move is expected to create an estimated 50 jobs for an all-female agronomic team, “to remedy the fact that women already make up a significant percentage of the agriculture value chain, but earn a fraction of the income.”
Mepe Farms have secured massive export agreements to supply various companies in Europe and Asia, and as well as provide raw materials to some factories in Ghana.
The agreement includes the exportation of 4,500 metric tonnes of SoyBeans to European and Asian markets. Supply of 2,250 metric tons of Soybeans and 3,750 metric tons of maize to support animal feed and 3,000 metric tons of organic tomatoes to two processing companies operating in the Bono Region.
Interestingly, all organic waste from cultivation operations will be used as raw materials and converted into Bio-Fertiliser and energy under the company’s Assisted Fermentation Technology and Portable Biogas module.
“The Bio-fertiliser is healthier, safer, and more environmentally friendly than its chemical counterparts. This enzyme-induced bio-fertilizer will also be made available for sale to farmers in the region at a discounted price,” notes Lotus Ecoculture.
