The on-air series of the Citi Business Festival started with an interview with the National Best Farmer for 2018, James Boateng.
He spoke on his journey from management in Cadbury to becoming a farmer.
Here are five key points he shared on his transition into Agriculture.
- More agro-processing
“There are huge issues with post-harvest losses. If you talk to the experts, they tell you that so much of what we do, especially in agriculture gets wasted.”
James Boateng urged more Ghanaians to venture into processing agricultural products to reduce the impact of post-harvest losses and also add value to the raw materials farmers produce.
- Motivate your employees
“…because the same employees can sabotage the product.”
In moves to improve the standards, even the remuneration of employees is taken into account as this has an effect on the quality of the farm produce.
- Strive for certification
“If you want to ensure that you have access to the international market, then get ready to be certified.”
Moves towards the global market will only take shape with the endorsement of the quality of ones produce and methods by organisations that enforce standards like Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) and GLOBALG.A.P.
- Focus on the people
“Fundamentally, for any business to succeed, there must be a lot of focus on people and to my surprise, I found the same in Agriculture.”
This was one principle James Boateng translated from the corporate world to the agriculture industry, regardless of the expertise of the farmer.
- Be careful with land
“If you really want peace of mind, own it.”
Ensure you have the right documents for the land you purchase or hope to farm on, James Boateng advised. Leases are good but owning the land is better, he added.