Ecobank boss tours AMG’s ultra-modern factory

The largest locally owned manufacturer and distributor of fertilizers in the country, Agricultural Manufacturing Group (AMG) is positioning itself to expand its operations and compete globally by exporting more of its products.

The company which is currently exporting 45-50 percent of their products to neighboring countries want to increase their export supply to 70 percent.

Along with this development, Ecobank Group has paid a courtesy call on the company, at its ultra-modern warehouse facility.

A move which can possibly trigger a stronger long-term relationship for the fertilizer industry and help to ensure a reliable supply of fertilizers to assist the country’s agriculture goals.

Speaking to the B&FT after the company took the Managing Director of Ecobank, Dan Sackey, on a tour of their ultra-modern factory at Kpone in the Greater Accra region, the Managing Director of AMG Fertilizers, Ernest Akwasi Appiah said that, the nation’s fertilizer usage is growing, a sign that there is a good market for their products locally while there is a great opportunity to export as well.

“The consumption of fertilizer in Ghana for the farmers is over 1.3 million metric tons. It is going up every day; there is also a good export market and we do not add that to the local consumption figures. Each and every, day my company finds satisfaction in also providing small scale and large-scale farmers with a crop nutrition product that guarantees them high yields, through the adaptation of cheaper but very cost-effective crop nutrition combinations.” Mr. Appiah said.

He mentioned that some $15-16 million of the company’s capital has been invested in building the factory and the hope is to get some more funds to expand.

The company currently plays a key role in the manufacturing and distribution of fertilizers for cocoa farmers across the country; its flagship product, Cocoa Nti fertilizer is a household name in cocoa-growing communities.

The Managing Director of the Ecobank Group, Dan Sackey, was impressed with the tour and encouraged the company to focus on measures to expand its tentacles outside Ghana.

He said the bank is ready for a partnership which would also offer the company the opportunity to work with other Ecobank branches across Africa. “I believe that the export market is huge and it is available for you to take advantage. If you can find a local dealer in the neighboring countries, we are good to go. There are farmers who are ready to buy fertilizers in the francophone countries; the good thing is that because their soil is not as rich as ours, they are natural fertilizer users, they know. Without fertilizers, they find it difficult farming, so that market is big. If you have the capacity to go into the market it would be a good business.”

“We have to find ways to work together and see how you can get into that market on a more sustained basis,” Mr. Sackey added.

Established in 2012, and with one of the strongest local presence, AMG prides itself as a leader in the field of specialty fertilizers, with its continuous innovative development of wide ranges of quality fertilizer products and related services. The AMG brand has steadily grown to become a symbol of quality, a pioneer and pacesetter in the Ghanaian agricultural sector. Read Full Story