My name is Henry Adjin-Tettey, a product of the Accra Technical University, having studied Supply Chain Management and completing my studies in 2011.
I have always been a farmer at heart due to the fact that I grew up on farms and an Entrepreneur/Businessman by training, so when I finished my studies, after working with a few big companies in Ghana like Voltic Ghana, Bismarco Engineering, Accra Brewery Ltd, I decided to rake in my savings and start my own company. Thus the Birth of E.R.T.S.S Ghana (Earth Resource Technologies & Supply Services).
If I have not traveled to the farm or to the hinterlands to buy produce, I live in Accra with my wife and two children, Denzel and Raqad.
In my experience, I have seen that despite all human activity is equally important, the most important and profitable are the ones that are very closely linked to survival and therefore most people will first spend on survival issues like food before they spend on say the cinema or transport. A hungry man finds it difficult to partake in any other activity until the body has been energized by food.
In my country and Africa as a whole, there is low investment in irrigation and so Agriculture is fully dependent on the weather which can be very inconsistent, so the whole continent is in a state of constant food insecurity, hence some of us sacrifice to remain in the farming and food distribution sector as part of our contribution to humanity, the African continent, and the world, at a small profit. Whatever small profit I make from these activities I use it to take care of my family; school fees, medicals, etc
In Africa, we face a paradox. Most of the youth refuse to go into farming, especially the educated youth like myself. They tell themselves that their hands should not get dirty, that farming is for the illiterate or for old people and troop to the cities for non-existent white collar jobs, forgetting that even if they found the job, they would still have to eat, and that a substantial part of their salaries will be spent on food but those of us who see how closely a food crisis every day, every seasom have work double-time to avert it, a day at a time.
Some of us had the opportunity to witness the food crisis that plagued Africa in the '70's and early '80's and which prompted Michael Jackson and the top musicians of the time, Kenny Rogers etc to sing "We Are The World". Maybe it is that fear and the ''never again" resolve in my head that makes us not worry about getting our hands dirty, to make sure in our own small way, the next man will have something to eat.
Despite it make profit from this business, it is the euphoria at harvest time, or when I am able to get goods to the market successfully that makes keeps me working because I know at such times, by my effort, I have prevented somebody from starving
Hello Zidisha Community, thank you so much for your contribution to my business.
I am the Founder and active manager of E.R.T.S.S Ghana Ltd, a company in Ghana registered to engage in Farming, trade in Agricultural produce, and engage in sustainable energy business.
Currently, we are heavily engaged in Agricultural activity, planting maize especially and Yam. Our main focus is cereals and pulses and have tried as much as possible to stay away from vegetables and fruits as their easy perishability makes them highly risky, especially as we do not farm close to the market, but rather operate in the hinterlands, specifically the Afram Plains of Ghana and the Northern region of Ghana.
I come from and live predominantly in Accra, which is in the southern part of the country. Accra also is the capital of the country and has a very large population. The south also has other big cities like Ho, Cape-Coast and Takoradi. In Ghana, the staple food of the south is Maize and Cassava with maize topping the two whilst the staple food of the North is predominantly yam. So I deal in maize particularly because it has a ready market where I come from.
Despite my apparent bias for maize, I also do supply Beans, (Cowpea), Soya, millet, etc, if it is ordered by a client, of if any of my colleague farmers has any to sell. I buy at village price and then I bring it to Accra for sale at a higher profit.
We have plans to farm other produce under less stressful conditions, maybe next year.
Since our arrival on the Ghanaian scene, we have slowly increased our output each season, hoping to grow organically from experience but the recent pandemic will not make our dreams easily realizable as we were together with the other businesses hit with the Covid-19 pandemic and had to face the financial and economic ramifications that came with it.
Despite the challenges that we have faced since the last year and a half, we still continue to push hard to regain our initial grounding so we continue to do our best despite whatever the virus and its restrictions, challenges bring.
Last year during the minor rainy season (August-October) we were still able to cultivate about 20 Acres of Maize which, despite all forms of challenges (physical restriction of movement in lockdowns, financial challenges, shortages of manpower/labour). This, we are still transporting to Accra.
This year the rains have been long, very long in coming. It is getting to the end of May, today is the 23rd and yet the rains have not come, meaning there could be some trouble with availability this year because even if the rains came down in earnest in June, there could be no harvest until August, when the minor rains and second cultivation should be starting.
The delayed rains has put further pressure on last season’s harvest, and maize is still on a roller coaster in the cities. Two weeks ago maize was perched at GHC 400 per bag(which was deemed high) in Accra, now it has shot to GHC 430, others even want to sell it above that because there is a shortage,
With the village price still pegged at GHC 200, even with a transport cost of 15% Sellers who can get their maize to the cities can easily make 80%, or even 100% if they are greedy.
The delay in the rains is a two-edged sword, it will definitely cause a shortage in supply of new maize in the coming months, but the blessing is that the roads are still open and those of us who have goods can quickly run in there and get them out before the roads become un-motorable.
I have probably less than 30 bags of my own maize now. If I am able to raise a bigger loan I will use it to facilitate the movement of the remainder of my maize to Accra. If the balance is substantial I will use it to buy the maize of my fellow farmers and come sell it in Accra at a higher profit. It’s all part of capital creation.
My fellow farmers in the village are intimidated by the bustle of Accra, the do not like coming to Accra and will rather do their transactions right there in the village for whatever profit, which is ok with them. Besides, they do not have customers in Accra
Africa is vulnerable in it's food security, but our institutions will not borrow funds to those who produce their food, the farmers. Food is important, everybody needs to eat. Like I say all the time; the food I bring down, knows no creed, nor religion, nor colour, it just prevents hunger wherever it is needed. Food travels and you may never know the table on which you may meet my produce; It could easily be the President's, the Queen's, the Pope's or even a poor nursing mother's in some remote village, but wherever it finds itself, I pray it takes away hunger.
I do have threshed maize in the barn on my farm in the village. With the coming of the rains next month the roads will become bad and it will become difficult to get a truck that is willing to get them to Accra at normal charges. Additionally, market trends dictate that the price of maize will fall after the rains when the new maize hits the market, so it is imperative that I get my maize to market as soon as possible.
I need the loan to buy PP sacks to bag and send the maize to the market in Accra for sale.
Buy sacks to bag & transport maize to market
My name is Henry Adjin-Tettey, a product of the Accra Technical University, having studied Supply Chain Management and completing my studies in 2011.
I have always been a farmer at heart due to the fact that I grew up on farms and an Entrepreneur/Businessman by training, so when I finished my studies, after working with a few big companies in Ghana like Voltic Ghana, Bismarco Engineering, Accra Brewery Ltd, I decided to rake in my savings and start my own company. Thus the Birth of E.R.T.S.S Ghana (Earth Resource Technologies & Supply Services).
If I have not traveled to the farm or to the hinterlands to buy produce, I live in Accra with my wife and two children, Denzel and Raqad.
In my experience, I have seen that despite all human activity is equally important, the most important and profitable are the ones that are very closely linked to survival and therefore most people will first spend on survival issues like food before they spend on say the cinema or transport. A hungry man finds it difficult to partake in any other activity until the body has been energized by food.
In my country and Africa as a whole, there is low investment in irrigation and so Agriculture is fully dependent on the weather which can be very inconsistent, so the whole continent is in a state of constant food insecurity, hence some of us sacrifice to remain in the farming and food distribution sector as part of our contribution to humanity, the African continent, and the world, at a small profit. Whatever small profit I make from these activities I use it to take care of my family; school fees, medicals, etc
In Africa, we face a paradox. Most of the youth refuse to go into farming, especially the educated youth like myself. They tell themselves that their hands should not get dirty, that farming is for the illiterate or for old people and troop to the cities for non-existent white collar jobs, forgetting that even if they found the job, they would still have to eat, and that a substantial part of their salaries will be spent on food but those of us who see how closely a food crisis every day, every seasom have work double-time to avert it, a day at a time.
Some of us had the opportunity to witness the food crisis that plagued Africa in the '70's and early '80's and which prompted Michael Jackson and the top musicians of the time, Kenny Rogers etc to sing "We Are The World". Maybe it is that fear and the ''never again" resolve in my head that makes us not worry about getting our hands dirty, to make sure in our own small way, the next man will have something to eat.
Despite it make profit from this business, it is the euphoria at harvest time, or when I am able to get goods to the market successfully that makes keeps me working because I know at such times, by my effort, I have prevented somebody from starving
Hello Zidisha Community, thank you so much for your contribution to my business.
I am the Founder and active manager of E.R.T.S.S Ghana Ltd, a company in Ghana registered to engage in Farming, trade in Agricultural produce, and engage in sustainable energy business.
Currently, we are heavily engaged in Agricultural activity, planting maize especially and Yam. Our main focus is cereals and pulses and have tried as much as possible to stay away from vegetables and fruits as their easy perishability makes them highly risky, especially as we do not farm close to the market, but rather operate in the hinterlands, specifically the Afram Plains of Ghana and the Northern region of Ghana.
I come from and live predominantly in Accra, which is in the southern part of the country. Accra also is the capital of the country and has a very large population. The south also has other big cities like Ho, Cape-Coast and Takoradi. In Ghana, the staple food of the south is Maize and Cassava with maize topping the two whilst the staple food of the North is predominantly yam. So I deal in maize particularly because it has a ready market where I come from.
Despite my apparent bias for maize, I also do supply Beans, (Cowpea), Soya, millet, etc, if it is ordered by a client, of if any of my colleague farmers has any to sell. I buy at village price and then I bring it to Accra for sale at a higher profit.
We have plans to farm other produce under less stressful conditions, maybe next year.
Since our arrival on the Ghanaian scene, we have slowly increased our output each season, hoping to grow organically from experience but the recent pandemic will not make our dreams easily realizable as we were together with the other businesses hit with the Covid-19 pandemic and had to face the financial and economic ramifications that came with it.
Despite the challenges that we have faced since the last year and a half, we still continue to push hard to regain our initial grounding so we continue to do our best despite whatever the virus and its restrictions, challenges bring.
Last year during the minor rainy season (August-October) we were still able to cultivate about 20 Acres of Maize which, despite all forms of challenges (physical restriction of movement in lockdowns, financial challenges, shortages of manpower/labour). This, we are still transporting to Accra.
This year the rains have been long, very long in coming. It is getting to the end of May, today is the 23rd and yet the rains have not come, meaning there could be some trouble with availability this year because even if the rains came down in earnest in June, there could be no harvest until August, when the minor rains and second cultivation should be starting.
The delayed rains has put further pressure on last season’s harvest, and maize is still on a roller coaster in the cities. Two weeks ago maize was perched at GHC 400 per bag(which was deemed high) in Accra, now it has shot to GHC 430, others even want to sell it above that because there is a shortage,
With the village price still pegged at GHC 200, even with a transport cost of 15% Sellers who can get their maize to the cities can easily make 80%, or even 100% if they are greedy.
The delay in the rains is a two-edged sword, it will definitely cause a shortage in supply of new maize in the coming months, but the blessing is that the roads are still open and those of us who have goods can quickly run in there and get them out before the roads become un-motorable.
I have probably less than 30 bags of my own maize now. If I am able to raise a bigger loan I will use it to facilitate the movement of the remainder of my maize to Accra. If the balance is substantial I will use it to buy the maize of my fellow farmers and come sell it in Accra at a higher profit. It’s all part of capital creation.
My fellow farmers in the village are intimidated by the bustle of Accra, the do not like coming to Accra and will rather do their transactions right there in the village for whatever profit, which is ok with them. Besides, they do not have customers in Accra
Africa is vulnerable in it's food security, but our institutions will not borrow funds to those who produce their food, the farmers. Food is important, everybody needs to eat. Like I say all the time; the food I bring down, knows no creed, nor religion, nor colour, it just prevents hunger wherever it is needed. Food travels and you may never know the table on which you may meet my produce; It could easily be the President's, the Queen's, the Pope's or even a poor nursing mother's in some remote village, but wherever it finds itself, I pray it takes away hunger.
I do have threshed maize in the barn on my farm in the village. With the coming of the rains next month the roads will become bad and it will become difficult to get a truck that is willing to get them to Accra at normal charges. Additionally, market trends dictate that the price of maize will fall after the rains when the new maize hits the market, so it is imperative that I get my maize to market as soon as possible.
I need the loan to buy PP sacks to bag and send the maize to the market in Accra for sale.