Sesi Technologies, a Ghanaian agritech company based in Kumasi, is set to launch two new technology products for farmers and grain aggregators on Friday, 11th December, 2020 at 4pm GMT.

The launch which will be held virtually, will stream on the company’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The first product, the GrainMate Moisture Meter is a grain moisture meter that will make it easy for farmers and grain traders to measure the moisture content in their grains before storage.

This technology, which is manufactured locally in Ghana, will help commodity traders and farmers reduce post-harvest losses and make it easier for them to meet the moisture requirements of food processing companies.

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The second product, the GrainMate app, is a mobile application, that will make it possible for farmers and commodity traders to list and sell their produce online and find buyers for their commodities.

The mobile application will also make it possible for farmers to access post-harvest training content.

You can sign up to be notified about Sesi Technologies’ virtual launch by clicking this link.

Post-harvest losses in Ghana

About 30% of grains produced in Africa is lost as a result of post-harvest losses. Post-harvest losses in cereals reportedly cost Ghana $141m in 2018 with drying and storage problems accounting for the majority of losses.

Aside from speeding the rate at which grains deteriorate, high moisture content also increases the aflatoxin content in grains which could lead to serious health consequences for consumers.

One major challenge that farmers face in dealing with these losses is the unavailability of affordable post-harvest management technologies.

The GrainMate Moisture Meter, which was originally developed under the Feed The Future Post-harvest loss innovation lab and is currently being manufactured in Ghana by Sesi Technologies, is an affordable solution to moisture testing problems faced by farmers.

Creating market linkages for smallholder farmers

With the COVID-19 pandemic having disrupted agricultural supply chains, many rural farmers have struggled to find buyers for their produce, which has also resulted in increased post-harvest losses and loss of income for farmers.

Online marketplaces that let farmers list their produce and find buyers have gained popularity in recent months and are promising to help farmers reach new potential buyers that they hitherto would have been unable to reach.

By providing a tool that lets farmers sell grains, the GrainMate app promises to help farmers earn more from their produce and reduce food that would otherwise have gone waste.

Sign up to be notified about the virtual launch by clicking this link.

About Sesi Technologies

Sesi Technologies, which is based in Kumasi, was founded in 2018 with the goal of empowering farmers with affordable technologies to help them reduce losses and increase productivity. Their products are currently being used by over 1000 farmers and agribusinesses across Ghana and their work has received world-wide recognition including from the MIT Technology Review.