To stimulate improved seed production, processing, and marketing, with a loan programme of $9 million, the Feed the Future – Ghana Agriculture Technology Transfer Project (ATT) is partnering reputable financial institutions in northern Ghana.

To fuel the nascent private sector seed business that serves farmers in Upper East, Upper West, and Northern Regions, encourage adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture practices and equipment that mitigate the harmful effects of climate change while adapting to changes, is the purpose of the programme.

The project is also focus at increasing the volume and quality of improved certified maize, rice and soy seed growth and also reduced seed retail prices at the end-user levels through the value-chain players.

The programme was aimed at motivating both entrepreneurs and financial institutions to invest more in agribusiness, specifically the seed sector in the northern Ghana, said Dr Gary Mullins, the Chief of Party for ATT and he was speaking at a summit for players in the seed sector and agribusiness industry in Tamale in the Northern Region.

He also informed that the loans were targeted at seed producers, seed cleaners and processors, seed marketing, and seed companies as well as organisations, institutes and as well as at individuals who are interested in implementing Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies.

According to him, ATT would bear 15 percent of the loan interest payable on each qualifying loan disbursed, up to a total of $ 900,000, for every loan made by the financial institutions to finance any of the seed sector players in the three regions.

To increase its agricultural productivity, the seed sector was a critical area that must be looked.

For International Development (USAID) in partnership with ATT Project, and Financing Ghanaian Agriculture Project (USAID-FinGAP) Seed Loan Support Programme brought together stakeholders in the agribusiness sector, the summit was put together by the United States Agency.