Innovative Agricultural Development Company Launches In Ghana To Offset $35 Billion Annual Cost Of Food Imports To Africa

• With over 3,300 hectares of land in the Volta region, ‘Lotus Ecoculture’ is on a mission to
  increase farming yields by up to 30% whilst maintaining a zero-waste, zero-chemical operation
  through its subsidiary named Mepe Farms LTD, located in Mepe Community, Volta Region
• The business aims to tackle rising food costs using innovative agronomic and agritech
  solutions, a fully-mechanised technological process and zero-chemical input operation to
  boost growth in Ghana’s agricultural sector
• All inputs are OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certified, bringing Ghana
  best-in-class organic inputs, available to farmers in the region at a discounted price.

With over 6 years of trading and smallholder farmer aggregation in the West African markets, Lotus Ecoculture’s arrival in Ghana marks the next step on their journey to improving food security in Africa.

By operating highly-efficient farming & processing activities, and building on the processing
infrastructure in-country. Mepe Farms LTD provides Cultivation-as-a-service to meet local demand and boost exports of Grains and Fresh Produce in Ghana. Mepe Farms LTD will bridge the gap between food producers and access to raw material in the production of animal feed which is a growing concern to operators in the industry and the Government of Ghana. The company will create over 50 new jobs running an all-female agronomic team, to remedy the fact that women already make up a significant percentage of the agriculture value chain, but earn a fraction of the income.

Export and off-taker agreements
Mepe Farms have already secured massive export agreements including long-term off-taker
agreements for the cultivation of:

• 4,500 Metric tonnes of SoyBeans for European and Asian markets
•  2,250 Metric Tonnes of Soybeans and 3,750 Metric Tonnes of Maize to support animal feed production companies operating locally, through its subsidiary Mepe Grains Ltd
• 3,000MT of Organic Tomatoes servicing two tomatoes processing companies operating in
  Bono Region, Ghana

These long-term partnerships affirm the demand for organic African grown produce whilst creating a sustainable ecosystem for all stakeholders.

Zero-waste and Zero Chemical Input Operation
Mepe Farms are building a zero-waste, Zero chemical input cultivation company. All inputs are certified by the Organic Materials Research Institute (OMRI), bringing Ghana best-in-class organic inputs with the potential to increase yield by over 30%.

All organic waste from cultivation operations will be used as raw materials for their Assisted
Fermentation Technology and Portable Biogas membrane which convert organic waste into
Bio-Fertiliser and energy.

The Bio-fertiliser is healthier, safer and more environmentally friendly than its chemical counterparts. This enzyme induced bio-fertiliser will also be made available for sale to farmers in the region at a discounted price.

• The Portable Membrane Biogas Plant can produce up to 1300Kw/h of electricity for farm
  operations with the surplus serving the nearby community.
• The 10MT/Day tonne Assisted Fermentation Vessel will produce upwards of 2,200 tonnes of Bio-Fertilizer annually – a healthier, safer and higher-yielding fertiliser .

“Food producers and processors are unable to meet their demand for raw materials due to inefficiencies in food production and the supply chain. Our strategy of providing cultivation and processing-as-a-service coupled with strategic technical partnerships is the most efficient way to bridge the gap in Food Security. We will work with smallholder farmers in the region to increase yield through training, whilst providing a secondary source of income. This creates a sustainable environment for local food producers as a huge percentage of their raw material input is provided by a reliable cultivator. This, coupled with our fully-mechanised and organic cultivation process, positions us well to provide the infrastructure to restore the produce market; making Africa less reliant on costly imports. We have the land, the climate and the experienced agronomists to produce world-class organic crops already; with my business’ technology and infrastructure enhancements, we can set a new standard for agriculture in West Africa. We’d like to give a special thanks to the Government of Ghana and the Ministry of Food & Agriculture for providing us with the enabling environment to make significant impact in Agriculture” – Osayi Olotu, CEO Mepe Farms LTD