Mr. Ouedraogo got the recognition at the 2017 Farmers’ Day event held in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

[contextly_sidebar id=”On9MWvMy2G7h2oT62PjJfkSIxepfTxoM”]For his prize, Mr. Ouedraogo received a tricycle, a certificate, fertilizer, chemical, watering can and other items. Issa Ouedraogo won the same award at the regional celebration of the farmers’ day event in the Western Region in 2013.

His innovative agribusiness, which provides mechanization support and advisory services to farmers, trains farmers through ICT in agriculture, supplies organic fertilizer, offers practical training on alternative livelihood for persons in agriculture, and develops high yield pest resistant seedlings among others, employs about 60 people directly, and about 200 indirectly.

B-BOVID CEO named 2016 Chamber Businessman

Few days to the National Farmers’ Day celebration, Mr. Ouedraogo was crowned as the Chamber Businessman of the year 2016, at maiden Chamber Business Awards by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Awards.

The maiden awards ceremony held at the State Banquet was to celebrate the finest of businesses that have demonstrated excellence in leadership and innovation in contributing to the socio-economic development of the country.

About B-BOVID

B-BOVID promotes sound agricultural practices and ecological farming, and offers training to farmers on variety of improved agricultural methods.

It also organizes community outreach programmes to encourage small holder farmers to adopt modern technology, promotes healthy lifestyles and nutrition, and educates farming communities on the impact of climate change and land degradation.

Currently, the World Bank has selected B-BOVID as one of the model farms in the country to be promoted as the ideal farming model that other farmers could tap in to empower themselves and change their fortunes.

B-BOVID wins prestigious UN award

B-BOVID’s model has received several commendations and recognition both locally and internationally, including the United Nations (UN). In 2012, B-BOVID, won the UN’s Social Investment Pioneer Award along with nine other businesses from around the world.

The awards were given in recognition of the companies’ outstanding contributions to local community development. The awards are the initiative of the Principles for Social Investment Secretariat and the United Nations Global Compact.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post B-BOVID CEO wins Best Western Regional Farmer award again appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Under the grant name, Peri-urban Commercial Vegetables Value Chains for Poverty Reduction and Food Security, the money, which is to be disbursed through the World Bank (WB), is also expected to be used for the establishment of vegetable warehousing and irrigation systems for better post-harvest handling and market linkages in the Greater Accra, Western, Eastern and Volta regions.

[contextly_sidebar id=”u7T6CLhBUe4lmxCbBSx82p18gLngYAzt”]The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is the implementing agency, while the main target groups include smallholder and less-resourced vegetable producers.

Objectives

Primarily, the project targets women and the youth in some selected communities in the four regions to improve on production, quality and marketing of vegetables.

It will also promote irrigation schemes to facilitate all-year-round vegetable production and consumption, as well as develop the capacities of farmers to enable them to improve the productivity and quality of their produce.

Other objectives are reducing post-harvest losses through efficient post-harvest handling mechanisms and facilitation of access to high value markets to ensure appreciable income levels for farmers.

Partner

Documentation on the project made available to the Daily Graphic in Takoradi indicates that B- BOVID Limited, a Takoradi-based Agro-farm entrepreneur, will participate in the project implementation process as a productive partner.

The company would be providing the matching grant for the establishment of a cold chain centre (Vegetable Warehousing System), and would consequently manage the system to enhance efficiency.

According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of B-BOVID, Mr. Issa Ouedraogo, the Western and Greater Accra Regions would build the modern warehousing systems to stem the challenge of post-harvest losses, and that the Western Region was to concentrate on the production of vegetables which was in tandem with the overall government policy of “Planting for Food and Jobs” where the region was selected to produce vegetables.”

He indicated that, the project was capable of transforming vegetable production in the region in particular and the country at large.

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By: graphic.com.gh/Ghana

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Dr. Afriyie, a renowned farmer, recommended the company for its agric initiatives when he visited the farms of B-BOVID to familiarize himself with the operations of the firm, founded by Issa Ouedraogo, the 2013 Best Western Regional Farmer has built to lead agribusiness and alternative livelihood projects in the region.

“Obviously I am going to recommend him highly to our government and some of my colleagues in agric to come and take a look at what is happening here. This model can be replicated in the region and throughout the country”. Dr. Afriyie indicated in an interview with Citi News.

Dr. Afriyie was on Saturday April 22, 2017, accompanied by presidential staffer Charles Onuawonto Cromwell Bissue and one Kweku Aboagye Boampong, taken round the different divisions of B-BOVID’s plantations by the Chief Executive Officer Mr. Ouedraogo.

Mr. Ouedraogo took the team first to an oil palm mill to portray how B-BOVID buys from small holder farmers to extract other products other than palm oil for other uses. He explained the potential that could be derived from residues of palm fruit and how it could be used to produce other products needed in the Ghanaian market.

Dr. Afriyie, a farmer with greater appreciation of other benefits of palm fruit, was impressed with the level of commitment that has gone into projects at the site. He was then led to the poultry division where live domestic birds such as guinea fowl and penguin of different kinds were reared.

The horses, the piggery, goats and sheep as well as rabbit and grass cutter farms were inspected. The foreign goose which had survived the climate in the tropics had grown up refreshingly.

Dr. Afriyie was then led to the catfish pool where several hundreds of live fishes are reared in a pool.

“it is a lucrative venture we could encourage many of our youth to go into it. They could be doing “pick and kill” as done in the cities” Dr. Afriyie noted.

Other facilities such as training center for the youth who want to venture into Agric were also in the farm.

At the vegetable and rubber farm plantations at Ango in the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis, Mr. Ouadraego had provided a group of young and determined farmers who hitherto were farming at “unhygienic” areas in Takoradi several acres of farmland suitable for vegetable production free of charge.

“This is commendable and worthy of emulation. But I encourage you to immediately enrol these farmers onto the government’s planting for food program to help these farmers secure funding for their initiatives” the Regional Minister suggested to Mr. Ouedraogo.

He also inspected the artificial canals created to provide clean water for vegetable production.

After inspecting the ‘Garden of Eden’ which is a farm with variety of fruits, Dr. Afriyie remarked that “I am very much impressed with what I have seen Mr. Ouedraogo doing with agribusiness. His initiative could be a model for the One District One Factory policy of the government. I am very much impressed with his farming methods as well which ensures soil fertility.”

About B-Bovid

B-BOVID, is a Ghanaian agricultural business based at Pretsir in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region, which promotes sound agricultural practices and ecological farming, and offers training to farmers on variety of improved agricultural methods.

It also organizes community outreach programmes to encourage small holder farmers to adopt modern technology, promotes healthy lifestyles and nutrition, and educates farming communities on the impact of climate change and land degradation.

Currently, the World Bank has selected B-BOVID as one of the model farms in the country to be promoted as the ideal farming model that other farmers could tap in to empower themselves and change their fortunes.

B-BOVID wins prestigious UN award

B-BOVID’s model has received several commendations from several high ranking officials and global organisations including the United Nations (UN). In 2012, B-BOVID, won the UN’s Social Investment Pioneer Award along with nine other businesses from around the world. The awards were given in recognition of the companies’ outstanding contributions to local community development. The awards are the initiative of the Principles for Social Investment Secretariat and the United Nations Global Compact.
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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post W/Region Minister recommends B-BOVID’s agric model for gov’t support appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Addressing former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan and his wife Nane Annan, on B-Bovid’s OFSP project ongoing in the Western Region, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Issa Ouedraogo, said B-Bovid is pioneering large-scale OFSP production due to the crop’s nutritious benefits for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

He said B-Bovid’s current 60 acre OFSP plantation being funded by the Jubilee Partners as part of their corporate social responsibility to benefit coastal communities, will be extended to cover more areas in the Western Region.

The meeting at Elmina in the Central Region to update the Annans on ongoing campaigns aimed at promoting the breeding and consumption of the highly nutritious crop in the Western and Central Regions, was also used to showcase a variety of OFSP processed foods under the promotion of Women in Agriculture Development (WIAD) programme.

Addressing stakeholders at the event, Nane Annan lauded the efforts of B-Bovid as well as other local OFSP breeders involved in the promotion campaign, and pledged continued support for the initiative.

Over 50% of Ghanaian children suffer from Vitamin A deficiency.

The Sweet Potato for Profit and Health initiative by the International Potato Center (CIP) to promote the orange-fleshed sweet potato, targets half a million households in Ghana by 2020.

About B-Bovid

B-BOVID, is a Ghanaian agricultural business based at Pretsir in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region, which promotes sound agricultural practices and ecological farming, and offers training to farmers on variety of improved agricultural methods.

It also organizes community outreach programmes to encourage small holder farmers to adopt modern technology, promotes healthy lifestyles and nutrition, and educates farming communities on the impact of climate change and land degradation.

Currently, the World Bank has selected B-BOVID as one of the model farms in the country to be promoted as the ideal farming model that other farmers could tap in to empower themselves and change their fortunes.

B-BOVID wins prestigious UN award

B-BOVID’s model has received several commendations from several high ranking officials and global organisations including the United Nations (UN).

In 2012, B-BOVID, won the UN’s Social Investment Pioneer Award along with nine other businesses from around the world.

The awards were given in recognition of the companies’ outstanding contributions to local community development.

The awards are the initiative of the Principles for Social Investment Secretariat and the United Nations Global Compact.
–
By: Lord Kweku Sekyi/Freelancer/Ghana

The post B-Bovid champions Kofi Annan sweet potato initiative in W/Region [Photos] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Interacting with journalists at the B-Bovid agriculture facility in the Mpohor-Wassa East District of the Western Region, the head of the Israeli delegation said Ghana must take serious measures aimed at improving agricultural practices to reverse the annual import of rice of up to a billion US dollars, coupled with the high importation of poultry products from the Americas.

He said mechanized agriculture must be adopted to drastically cut down the manpower involved, since it employs less manpower and produces higher yield.

Ambassador Mehl added that, the way for Ghana was large scale agriculture which employs the right technology to ensure that the country has enough to utilize and export as well.

“Agribusiness should be large-scale. Ghana is an agricultural country, so there is a lot of potential for agribusiness in Ghana. But it should be on a large-scale. The BBOVID example is a brilliant idea of how to use small scale methods to do big things in the agriculture sector”.

He said,”you can’t have about 60 percent of the population being subsistence farmers and expect growth; rather I suggest that smaller farmer groups come together to form large group to advance the sector. It’s not good for Ghana to have 50 per cent of its population doing farming. 5 to 10 percent of the population that will go professionally into agriculture can make miracles, which can make Ghana self-sufficient in agriculture and a strong exporter of agric products.”

He said Israel, with its limited land area and scarcity of water, has less than 4% of its total population doing agriculture, yet the country is a food exporter due to its implementation of modern farming methods.

He said his country is open to sharing its experience with Ghana on specific agric sectors.

“There are things you don’t have here that I don’t understand. There is no milk industry in Ghana. For us, it’s a very basic thing milking cows and producing dairy products on a large scale.”

According to the Ambassador, if Ghana really wants to see a change in agriculture as an engine for economic growth, then there must be a change in attitude and mind set towards agric.

Interest rates in Ghana too high

Mr. Mehl said Ghana’s current banking system discourages long-term investment into agriculture.

“Interests around 30 per cent; I don’t know a business that can make so much profit in such a short time, because it eats all your profits.”

He however lauded the B-BOVID’’s inclusive business model initiative with farmers who provide raw materials for its palm oil factory.

Mr. Isaa Ouedraogo, Director of BBOVID, who took the ambassador and his team through a facility visit, prayed the government to ensure long term and low interest loans to encourage more professionals in the agriculture sector.

US Ambassador lauds B-BOVID’s agric model, urges gov’t support

The Israeli Ambassador’s visit to B-BOVID’s site, comes barely few weeks after the US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Peter Jackson, visited the site and promised to engage Ghana’s Ministry of Agriculture in promoting the company’s agric module.

B-BOVID, is a Ghanaian agricultural business based in Pretsea in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region, which promotes sound agricultural practices and ecological farming, and offers training to farmers on variety of improved agricultural methods.

B-BOVID, is a Ghanaian agricultural business based in Pretsir in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region, which promotes sound agricultural practices and ecological farming, and offers training to farmers on variety of improved agricultural methods.
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By: Lord Kweku Sekyi/Freelancer/Ghana

The post Ghana should not import poultry, rice – Israeli Ambassador appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.