Ghana's agricultural industry to be  given a boost as AFGRI, a  leading agricultural services and food processing company, on Tuesday announced its  intention to expand  operations in the country, after a successful acquisition of fellow John Deere dealership Greenline Ag.

AFGRI is a leading agricultural company that started more than 90 years ago in South Africa. Its core focus is on grain commodities and it also has  international operations in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Botswana and Australia.

The Operations director of AFGRI, Gollie Coatzee,  after the deal was finalised, said:

"We already have plans to expand staff structures, recruiting new people, particularly in service and the precision ag side, so that we'll be ready for harvest."

"We'll be talking with farmers in our new districts and assessing their needs." He added

"If other opportunities arise (to acquire more branches), we'll look at them but at this stage we prefer to stick to WA."

Mr Coatzee said the Greenline acquisition, which was finalised last Tuesday for an undisclosed sum, will provide greater economies of scale for the company.

"As technology improves and products become more advanced, additional experts in different fields are required," Mr Coatzee said

"Therefore, economy of scale has become essential and this acquisition will provide AFGRI with the opportunity to align this strategy to its well-established vision of being the preferred supplier of premium agricultural equipment, services and solutions."

"This acquisition will broaden AFGRI's range of products and allow the company to serve larger markets with agricultural and turf equipment."

AFGRI South Africa provides services across the grain production and storage cycle, offering financial support and solutions as well as inputs and hi-tech equipment through the John Deere brand supported by a large retail footprint.

Ghana’s agricultural sector is largely subsistence-based, and employs over 60 percent of the population and contributes about 28 percent of GDP.