The Soya Value Chain Association of Ghana (SVCAG) convened a stakeholder consultation conference in the soya value chain as part of efforts to enhance production in the soya industry.
At a one-day stakeholder meeting held in Tamale with support from USAID, Yara Ghana, GIZ Ghana and the AgriBusiness Office, stakeholders from the soya value chain across the five northern regions of Ghana attended.
Soybean farmers, aggregators and other actors in the soya value chain spoke with SVCAG leadership, seeking explanations for attempts to provide long-term solutions to their difficulties and concerns within the value chain.
The Executive Secretary of the Soya Value Chain Association of Ghana, Yaw Afrifa, said some smallholder farmers have had challenges accessing quality soya seed due to financial constraints, and that with SVCAG support from its certified seed growers and input dealers, smallholder farmers are guaranteed a reliable and sustainable supply of seed and fertilizer.
According to him, the association works with frontline farmers and input dealers to provide credit facilities to smallholders, enabling them to cultivate larger acreages.
He emphasised that despite massive gains over the years, the operations of the soya value chain in Ghana have come under threat from foreign buyers flooding the market.
The Soya Value Chain Association of Ghana, formed in 2018, is made up of researchers, seed producers, farmers, aggregators, and soya oil and cake processors, among others — with the overall aim of deliberate advocacy, trade facilitation, business linkages, and building the capacity of actors within the soya beans value chain.