Ghana gets 200,000 dollars UNIDO support for sorghum project

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has made available 200,000 dollars to support the cultivation of sorghum in Ghana. This will help the country's breweries in their efforts to replace imported malt with sorghum as a way of reducing production cost.

Mr Abubakar Saddique Boniface, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, who was speaking in an interview on his return from Vienna after attending the 25th session of the UNIDO Board meeting, said the money was to support the setting up of the project and to enable the breweries to conduct research into the use of the cereal.

He said the breweries have also agreed to support the farmers to grow the sorghum especially in the Ejura and Techiman areas. The farmers would serve as out-growers to the breweries, which would in turn ensure ready market for the farmers produce.

Mr Boniface said the project is to generate more employment and to ensure that the breweries would have a local substitute for their imported raw material. The membership of the UNIDO board is on two to three years' rotational basis and comprises 52 countries.