The Co-Founder of Green World Flourishers Limited (GWFL), Mr. Maxwell Twum Barimah, has disclosed that the agriculture sector is one of the leading sectors endowed with much potential.
The Agriculture sector remains the only sector that always presents a lot of benefits both to Governments and Individuals, says Mr. Twum Barimah, adding that people will have to eat no matter their situation.
“Even now, we need to do more with the rapid rise in the world’s population and a decrease in arable lands. We have to look for new and improved ways of feeding all these people, which presents challenges and opportunities”.
Mr. Twum Barimah
Speaking to the Vaultz news, Mr. Twum Barimah opined that he and his founding partner saw vast farming potential in the Agric space, specifically pineapple production, and decided to grab that opportunity.
“Pineapples are among some of the widely consumed fruits globally. Currently, Ghana is one of the largest exporters of pineapples to the European Union, even though the majority of the Pineapples produced are consumed locally in various forms (raw and processed). Because of these prospects, Pineapple production is very profitable and presents a wide variety of opportunities along its value chain both locally and Internationally.”
Mr. Twum Barimah
Business model of GWFL
Mr. Twum Barimah recounted how the Green World Flourishers Limited started, adding that the idea was birthed while in school. He advised interested persons wanting to venture into agriculture to start small.
“Green World Flourishers Limited was started by a group of Agricultural students from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) who wanted to impact the agriculture sector. We started our first farm in 2015 (1 Acre Maize farm) whiles still on campus with our stipends. We ventured into Pineapple production (1 plot) during our National Service days due to opportunities in that industry with our national service allowance. Currently, we are into full-time pineapple Production.”
Mr. Twum Barimah
“We have a ‘model’ we are using – We farm for ourselves – And we also farm on behalf of anyone who has the Capital to venture into Pineapple production but does not have the time to go into it full time,” he added. “We farm on behalf of these people or investors as long as they meet the minimum capital requirements for establishing an Acre or more of pineapple production (GHS 32,000per acre),” Mr. Twum Barimah noted.
In expounding further on their areas of operations, Mr. Twum Barimah revealed that they have large acreages of land under their management at the moment.
“Currently, we have several acreages of land under cultivation, Some in Pokrom in the Eastern Region and Ekumfi in the Central region. We also provide technical support and consultancy services for companies and individuals who want to venture into Pineapple Business.”
Mr. Twum Barimah
Government should initiate flagships projects to support Agri-preneurs
When asked if the GWF has any government support, Mr. Twum Barimah answered that the company has not yet received any government support.
“At present, we are not on any government Agric programs even though we have applied for some. But we have had the opportunity of getting some support from some Private Organizations; a recent one is the Ishmael Yamson and Associates (Business Round Table – BRT21) Program, where we had a grant of 700 dollars for emerging winners of the flagship. We are still seeking sponsorship from Government and Private companies, and anyone that can help is welcome on board.”
Mr. Twum Barimah
Mr. Twum Barimah mentioned that he faces myriad challenges as a young entrepreneur, but that is no news because other young entrepreneurs face similar challenges. He whistled the challenges, including lack of access to credit, high cost of inputs, and limited government incentives for young agricultural businesses.
He thereafter advised the government and stakeholders to initiate many flagships projects to support young entrepreneurs in the agric sector with Inputs, machinery, and capital at minimal or no interest rates because these would help accelerate the growth of businesses ventured in by agriculture entrepreneurs.
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