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Caption-truck-load of water melons
produced on Resource Africa's farm for sale on the the
Ghanaian market
(Photo: IANS) |
Accra:
Perhaps India's agricultural prowess inspired him. Prabhpreet
Khinda, an engineer by training, arrived in Ghana in 2009 after he
was devastated by the effects of the 2008 global financial
meltdown. Twists and turns later, the 38-year-old from Punjab is
today one of the big farmers in the West African country.
His original plan was to use the country as a base in order to be
close to Liberia, where he had a mining project, but that has
changed as he now tends land to produce food in anticipation of a
global food shortage.
His company, Resources Africa, has a 2,200- hectare farm at Dzigbe,
near Kpandu in the Volta region and is planning to acquire 2,000
hectares more for an integrated farming project.
The company has become a major food producer, exporting about one
and a half tonnes of vegetables every week. Ghana, a country of 24
million people, is known for cocoa exports.
The man who describes himself as an investment entrepreneur is
clearly preparing himself for the future. "It is projected that
the world is heading towards a food shortage and some of us are
just getting ready to cater to that," Khinda told IANS in an
interview.
Apart from making money on his investments, he said, Resources
Africa is contributing to Ghana's development in its own small
way.
"Our exports alone are a major source of earning foreign exchange
for the country," he said. "I was inspired by the work of some
other Indians who were already engaged in farming in Ghana and
this urged me on."
Khinda said after his arrival in Ghana, he noticed that the
agricultural sector had huge potential.
"I was lucky to have met a very good chief, Togbi Dagadu of Kpandu,
who provided me with all the assistance that I needed to start
work immediately," he said.
He was, however, critical of the country's land tenure system.
"When I decided to look for land, it took almost a year before I
got access to it and paid for it. However, the land owners allowed
me to start work immediately," he said.
Khinda said his entry into agriculture was not an accident.
"I come from Punjab and have a family background of farmers," he
said.
Already his activities have attracted the attention of some people
in India, who have been calling to find out how to acquire land to
get into farming in Ghana.
He is also optimistic about the future because "even though
agriculture is slow in providing returns, the business is very
consistent."
(Francis
Kokutse can be contacted at fkokutse@hotmail.com)
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