West Africa Agro Tech opens new showroom in Kumasi
West Africa Agro-Tech Company Ghana Limited (WAATCO), dealers in heavy and small agricultural machinery, has opened its new showroom in Kumasi to provide hands-on agricultural expertise and technology to the people in the northern sector of the country.
Advertisement
The facility has service and training centres, as well as a spare parts depot.
This is the company’s second branch with its main outlet in Accra. Other regional offices are expected to be opened by the end of 2016.
WAATCO is the sole distributor of brands of Kirloskar Green Ideas Company and Sonalika International, both Indian companies, with their products in use in over 100 countries across the world.
The Chairman of WAATCO, Mr Akoliya Patel, speaking at the inaugural ceremony at Santasi in Kumasi, said the Salonika tractor and implements had been designed such that during off seasons the tractor could be used for mining, construction, haulage, and for other ancillary works.
Again, the Kirloskar Green generators, engines and pumps have in wide range of capabilities, able to perform all desired tasks with minimum operating costs and maximum ease in maintenance.
Door-to-door services
He said in getting the brands closer to farmers, door-to-door services would soon be introduced, adding that authorised service personnel of the company would move their services to the prospective farms any time a machine broke down.
5-year development plan
He said WAATCO in its 5-year development plan, would establish an assembling plant in Ghana, and that an estimated 5,000 tractors were expected to be locally assembled during the period.
“So far, 160 direct jobs have been created”, he said, adding that WAATCO had already invested $20 million in the Ghanaian economy and an estimated $200 million was expected to be invested by the end of the period.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Peter Anarfi-Mensah, assured the company of the government’s commitment in providing the regulatory framework to boost the agricultural sector through initiatives such as public-private partnership.
The Ashanti Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Mr Kwaku Minka Fordjour, said Asanteman was 80 years old and was very ready for mechanised agriculture.