Yara hopeful of yields boost

ara Ghana Limited has shipped into the country some 15,000 tonnes of YaraMila ACTYVA fertilizer to help boost cereal crop yields in the country.

The products, which have been imported from Finland, contain 10 percent nitrate and 13 percent ammonium to aid quick uptake for plants.

Ten percent of soluble phosphorus is present in the fertilizer, which dissolves easily into the soil making it readily available for plant absorption.

Additional micronutrients such as NPK, sulphur, magnesium and zinc are present in the product to provide balanced nutrition for plants.

Sergio Godoy, Commercial Manager of Yara Ghana Limited, told B&FT the fertilizes quality is just like that of exports to other countries, and that it has been shipped into the country for 50 kilogramme-bagging and distribution to all ten regions.

According to Mr. Godoy, pricing cannot be determined as at the moment but will slightly vary in some regions, putting into consideration some major expenses which will come as a result of fertilizer transit to those places.

“Pricing depends on where you are in the country, but some things have to be put in place before it is announced,” he said.

“The season starts earlier in the south and then in the north. In the north there is only one season. That one is starting now,” he said.

As part of the organisation's' duty as a fertilizer producer it provides education for farming communities under the Yara Crop Nutrition programme, which aims at maximizing profit for farmers while minimizing losses.

“We have ten agronomists in the company spending 90 percent of their time with farmers and farming communities. There are other fertilizers which are good -- don't get me wrong -- but I think it is a good thing in agriculture to have advice to know where to apply, what fertilizer to apply, and especially the amount to apply,” he said.

In previous studies conducted in some parts of the country, YaraMila ACTYVA is seen to have boosted yields more than that of other farming practices and the use of other fertilizers.

In the Northern Region, maize yields under the application of YaraMila ACTYVA were 4.2 tonnes per hectare, while other farming practices recorded 1.6 tonnes per hectare.

Brong Ahafo recorded 3.3 tonnes per hectare of maize yields under the application of this fertilizer while other farming practices registered as low as 1.6 tonnes per hectare.