Newage Agric Solutions has begun a journey to create 145,000 dignified jobs for youth, women and persons with disability, with women constituting 70 percent of it. This is being done through the Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) programme – a co-created, consortium-managed project in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation.
The company is set to achieve this target through the provision of 18,000ha of irrigated and rain-fed land for use by youth, especially women, over the 4 years. These youth will continue to have access to the lands for farming and be integrated into the network of farmers connected to NewAge.
The entire programme’s primary goal is to catalyse transformative investments in the rice, soybean, tomato and poultry value chains, with overarching objectives of boosting production volumes, curbing imports and strategically fostering employment opportunities targetting youth, women and people with disabilities.
The Newage Agric Solutions Limited will support 120 youth to establish 120ha rice seed farm and supply rice seeds to farmers under the programme, as well as expand to other farmers outside HAPPY.
The company’s role in the project will result in increased production for smallholder young farmers and lead to the production and mobilisation of at least 141,790mt of paddy valued at over US$44.3million, and 55,000mt of soybean valued at over US$34.38million annually.
The entire consortium-led programme intends to achieve a 20% production increase across the four value chains by end of the implementation phase. The investment will entail expanding cultivated land by 40,000 hectares and enhancing yields within the existing 15,000 hectares, with an anticipated outcome of an impressive yield at over 189,000 tonnes of food and 10,000 tonnes of poultry – resulting in annual total revenue of US$164million post-2026.
The HAPPY programme is projected to generate, sustain and enhance approximately 320,000 dignified jobs, with women constituting 70 percent of this workforce. The initiative is also expected to curtail national import expenditure, resulting in savings exceeding US$164million over the four-year period.
Newage Agric Solutions Limited begins this journey today – Thursday, December 7, 2023 – with meeting rice farmers in Tono to introduce them to the programme and encourage more youth and women to get on board the HAPPY train.
