Eagle Lager, a brand from Accra Brewery Limited, has handed over a new furrow irrigation system and a solar powered mechanised borehole to farmers in Yikene, a community in the Upper East Region.
The GH¢ 80,000 project is the brand’s contribution to ensuring that farming activities in the area are sustained.
The initiative forms part of Accra Brewery Limited’s Sustainable Development Initiative to improve the livelihoods of rural farmers.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony at Yikene, Mr James Zuugah Tiigah, the Upper East Regional Minister, commended the company for the initiative saying it will go a long way to ensure food security and help reduce poverty in the area.
He said Yikene has a population of 850 people with about 201 households who are mainly farmers.
Mr Tiigah said there are two distinct seasons in the north – the wet season spanning between May and September and a long dry season from October to March with hardly any rains.
He said it is within this long dry season that income and food supply levels become a challenge and the project will offer an alternative to rain-fed agriculture and thereby enable farmers to cultivate during the dry season.
Mr Jerry Gokah, the Senior Brands Manager of Accra Brewery Limited, said “sustainable development is a key ambition of the company and we believe that the long-term sustainability of our business depends on growing economies, healthy communities and responsible use of scarce natural resources.”
Mr Gokah said the Upper East Region was chosen as the Launchpad for the Eagle farmer initiative because the region is the biggest contributor to Eagle sales volume.
The introduction of the Eagle Lager cassava beer brand by Ghana’s premier brewery in March 2013 has created a significant number of direct and indirect sources of employment for cassava farmers and others along the value chain.
The Yikene irrigation project brings ABL’s total package for the Farmers’ Day celebration to GH¢ 120, 000 following the donation of 220 cases of assorted products plus a cheque for GH¢ 20,000.
ABL recently inaugurated a $100m plant expansion project geared towards usage of more local raw materials.
