That, he said, would help bridge the gap in the supply of inorganic fertiliser in the country.

Dr Akoto gave the assurance when he toured the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP), a facility owned by Zoomlion, at Adjen Kotoku in the Greater Accra Region, yesterday.

He was accompanied by some senior officials of the ministry.

The tour afforded the minister and his team the opportunity to learn about the operations of ACARP in general and particularly its organic fertiliser production.

Capacity

According to Dr Akoto, Zoomlion, with its recycling and compost plants dotted across the country, had the capacity to produce organic fertiliser on a large scale to feed "our farmers".

The minister said he was highly impressed by ACARP's organic fertiliser production process, adding: "I am confident Zoomlion, with this capacity, will be able to help bridge the fertiliser shortage in the country."

"Zoomlion, as the leading company in organic fertiliser production in the country, has a huge potential to produce quality organic fertiliser to address the fertiliser shortage which has hit Ghana," he added.

Shortage global

He said the shortage of inorganic fertiliser on the market was a global issue, attributing it to the COVID-19 and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Dr Akoto stressed that the government was determined to ensure that agriculture was not disrupted by happenings globally, saying: "We are determined to ensure that our farmers get all the supplies that they need, so that they are not affected by the global crisis of inorganic fertiliser shortage."

He said the country stood to make significant gains on the international market if it managed to develop organic fertiliser for farmers.

“The product of the application of organic fertiliser is organic food, which has a huge premium on the international market, so we can, as a country, make a lot of gains if we are able to develop our organic fertiliser,” he explained.