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CGAL to invest 50 million pounds in organic farming in Ghana

CONTEC GLOBAL Agro Limited, (CGAL) a United Kingdom, (UK) based organic farming and Biotechnology Company is set to invest $50 million in organic farming in Ghana.

According to its chairman and founder, Dr Benoy Berry the necessary arrangements have been concluded to expand its state-of-the-art plant tissue culture laboratory, bio-fertilizer and probiotic plants from the UK to Ghana and the West African sub-region.

The decision to invest in Ghana, he explained was fuelled by the success stories of similar agriculture ventures in the UK, Nigeria and Qatar in the Middle East, where the company won several awards from the various governments, international organisations and stakeholders because of its food security and sustainable drive.

Dr Berry said the company started the integrated organic farming concept in 2011 near the country side of London with over 200 heads of bovine cows marketing raw milk, using scientific biotechnology approach which has become the best agricultural practice in the world.

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“CGAL has become a renowned agricultural biotechnological company offering complete solution for bio-control agents, including, bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, bio-fungicides and plant regulations, “he added.

He stated that the establishment of the plants in the country would facilitate manufacturing components for microbial fertilisers to ensure the prompt supply to farms and other investors across the value chain to meet interregional standard for export.

Speaking in a virtual chat with Agro journalists on food security in Africa the chairman indicated that the company’s integrated farming module promotes chemical-free organic farming for large scale export and also disseminates scientific information, training and development tailored research for the benefit of small holders farmers in the country.

 “The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU), with Ghanaian agencies and stakeholders would help downscale the actualisation of the project to the small holder farmers,” he said.

Dr Berry said the company’s scientific organic farming strategy would not only increase food supply in the sub-region but will also increase small holder incomes, reduce malnutrition and improve livelihoods of the poor and urged for a synergy between various government agencies, private investors, the academia and civil society organisations to boost food productivity adding “Africa especially ECOWAS cannot continue to depend on the developed nations for its food security through unabated importation CGAL is willing to move Ghana’s food security forward. 

Dr Berry, who was recently awarded by the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria, (BSN), for establishing six world-class tissue labs and bio-fertiliser plants across six geo political zones in Nigeria was described by the chairman of board of trustees of BSN Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe as an inventor and an African entrepreneur who could change the economic fortunes of the continent using practical biotechnology.

“This means that you can use bio-fertilisers for both crop protection and yields developed from biological organisms. They are eco-degradable because they don’t have side effects. You see some of the chemicals that are used to produce our crops and raising our animals is what perpetually bring about some cancerous in human bodies but when you use biological means to produce is what we call organic farming or agriculture. So everything that you take is biodegradable, it rhymes with your body without any negative reactions, no side effects,” he said.

Prof. Tenebe urged fellow Nigerians and citizens of other African countries to avail themselves to the opportunity and be trained to help develop themselves and their communities.

He expressed optimism the award by BSN would spur CGAL to achieve its mission and vision to use cutting edge biotechnology to drive Africa’s food security through broader stakeholder consultation. 

By Lawrence Vomafa-Akpalu

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