Nestlé Ghana, a multinational operating in Ghana has revealed that its Grains Quality Improvement Project (GQIP) has boosted the cultivation of cereals in the Northern part of the country.
As of 2014, more than 65,000 farmers have benefited from the project. This is according to the Director of Communications of Nestlé Ghana, Aaron Fenu.
The project was launched in 2007 with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria enables Nestlé Ghana to source local crops including maize, millet and rice (cereals) for production of ‘Cerelac’ and other products.
He told journalists who were on media tour of the Nestlé Ghana factory at Tema that the Nestlé’s GQIP aims to ensure a continuous supply of safe and high-quality agricultural raw materials, help rural communities to increase their income, and reduce the level of mycotoxins in grains and legumes.
Mycotoxins are a widespread, natural and fungus-based contamination that can cause immune problems, impaired development in children, and liver damage in both humans and animals. Some few years ago, about 30% of cereal crops were lost to contamination caused largely by the humid environment and poor drying and storage practices.
Speaking to the journalists before they were conducted around the factory by some senior officials, the Nestlé Ghana Factory Manager, Joseph Walid Hbaika that 100 percent of millet used in its new ‘Cerelac’ Millet infant cereal products is sourced locally from farmers in Ghana.
Similarly, maize and rice used in the production of Nestlé Ghana products are produced locally. While sugar used in the production is imported, he disclosed.
Mr Hbaika stated: “We have invested in local rice and millet production because we want to buy local and boost the economy to grow”.
He further revealed that the company currently procured about 12,000 to 14,000 tonnes of processed cocoa from Cargill Ghana for the production of some of the company range of products.
Touching on employment, he revealed that the staff strength alone of the factory is 700, with more than 90% of them are Ghanaians.
Mr Hbaika was quick to explain: “We want to develop local talent that is why we give more opportunity to Ghanaian workers”.
Even they are a number of Ghanaian workers who are working in Nestlé outside. We focus on the attitude and put the right resources to develop the people, the factory manager stressed.
On export of Nestlé Ghana range of products such as Ideal Milk, Carnation Milk, Milo, Cerelac, Maggi, Nido, Nescafé, Milo Cereal, Mr Hbaika disclosed that the company exports more than 50 percent of the volume of these products to Central and West Africa region and beyond.
Throwing more light on Nestlé Ghana Cocoa Plan which was introduced two years ago, the Director of Communications of Nestlé Ghana, Aaron Fenu said the company was committed to the sustainability of the cocoa supply chain in the country hence the novelty plan.
The strategic plan is part of the company’s global efforts to support the lives of cocoa farmers and increase the quality of their crops. The project which focuses on three main pillars: enabling farmers to run profitable farms; through farmer training, distribution of a higher yielding cocoa
plants and rewards for good quality cocoa.
It also aims at improving social conditions, through the elimination of child labour and by focusing on women, children and their specific needs for education, health, and water, he added.
Mr Afenu noted that the company has trained over 9,000 farmers, built three schools and constructed eight boreholes benefiting 14,000 people in communities in the Eastern and Ashanti regions.
The company also built four Village Resource Centers, providing training facilities for local students and video training on best farming methods for cocoa farmers.
In October 2014, Nestlé announced the renewal of its long-standing collaboration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), committing to contribute CHF5 million over five years to the organization. In the framework of the partnership, water access and hygiene projects will be extended to cocoa growing communities in Ghana.
In Ghana, the Nestlé Cocoa Plan is implemented in partnership with Source Trust, Armajaro (ECOMS) and Noble Resource.
The Nestlé Cocoa Plan is active in most major cocoa-growing countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico, and Indonesia.
Furthermore, to arrest the dual problem of obesity and under-nutrition in Ghana, Nestlé launched its Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme in 2011 to help children, families and teachers understand the basics of healthy lifestyles.
The initiative, according to Mr Fenua aims to enhance the diets of youngsters and promote exercise by educating and engaging with school children, teachers, District Education officials, school cooks and canteen staff at schools based near Nestlé’s operations.
As part of the programme, Nestlé is working with the Ministry of Education in Ghana (Ghana Education Service) to help increase nutrition education awareness to children and their families.
The company has also partnered with the Nutrition and Food Science department at the University of Ghana to provide teachers with training on the programme.
Each child is given a Nestlé Healthy Kids reader, food models and play kits to use in their 45-minute lesson each week.
Nestlé Healthy Kids instructor manuals are provided to teachers to help in the classroom.
In 2014, the University of Ghana carried out its first monitoring and evaluation of the Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme which concluded that the initiative is proving effective in improving the overall nutrition knowledge and behaviour of participating children.
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, African Eye Report
Email: mk68008@gmail.com
