AGRA Grants $13 Million To Ghana Agriculture

Matt Hopkins Posted by Matt Hopkins|25 August 2009

The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is providing a grant of US $ 13 million to the agricultural sector of Ghana, reports Ghana News Agency. The grant comes from $400 million set aside to improve agriculture in 13 African countries to make them self-sufficient in food production.

Part of the money will go toward helping train more agricultural officers, improve seedlings, develop new varieties of crops and make them available to farmers. It will also sponsor agrochemicals shops to deliver chemicals to farmers. Dr. A. Namanga Ngongi, President of AGRA, said Savannah Agriculture Research Institution (SARI), Savannah Seed Services Company and other organizations including some agrochemical shops would implement the projects. Ngongi said these organizations would make improved seeds, fertilizers and chemicals available at the doorsteps of the farmers while the agriculture officers sponsored under the program would develop new varieties of crops for distribution to the farmers.

AGRA is sponsored by Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, as well as the Rockefeller Foundation and other individuals and organizations.

Hide picture