Faces of Black Excellence

The entrepreneur changing the face of agriculture with tractor hailing services

It was his first time at the market. But, Black entrepreneur Emmanuel Ansah-Amprofi had his biggest shock at the prices of onions and carrots at the local market in the West African nation of Ghana. The unsettling reality is when he learnt that onions and carrots were imported from the Netherlands and Europe to meet the local demand.

Ansah-Amprofi said he decided to use advocacy to change the mindset of the youth and rally them towards agriculture. He hit a snag in that campaign, but, he realized that the cost of foodstuffs on the market is high because of access to farm inputs.

With $60,000 seed capital he won from a farmer’s apprentice challenge organized by oil and gas company, Cosmos, he nurtured his dream of making tractors available to farmers at a cheaper cost.

The Co-founder of Trotro Tractor observed that farmers were struggling to purchase tractors which were selling for $30,000. He explained that Trotro Tractor works on the principle of vehicle hailing service. Farmers are placed in a digital platform where they rent tractors at $25 per an acre and use it for three days.

He said they have expanded the business model and are serving over 65,000 farmers with 3,200 tractors in Benin, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Ghana.

Ansah-Amprofi added that Trotro Tractor can operate on at least eight to 10 acres of farmlands a day. According to him, the tractor owners also pay $85 and $125 to stay on the digital platform from the monies they glean from the farmers. He said the tractors’ owners keep 90% of the monies they collect from the farmers while Trotro Tractor keeps the 10%.

He said they use GPS services to track the usage of the tractors making it difficult for farmers who rent their services to outwit them. The AgriTech entrepreneur said though funding wasn’t a challenge to them like many startups, one of the hurdles they continue to encounter is internet connectivity in rural settings.

He explained that they are now relying on USSD codes to address the challenge of connectivity and many farmers have bought into their services.

Looking into the future, Ansah Amprofi indicated that, they have plans of working with governments in African countries to commercialize the millions of hectares of arable lands that are fallow.

Stephen Nartey

Recent Posts

Motown’s Martha Reeves finally gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame after she had to crowdfund for it

The renowned Grammy and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Martha Reeves, earned her place…

10 hours ago

Tragedy in South Africa as vehicle carrying Easter worshippers falls off bridge, 45 dead

The Easter weekend didn’t start well for some worshippers who have been reported dead in…

10 hours ago

Gladys Muhammad, the woman who has played Harriet Tubman several times to keep her legacy alive

Gladys Muhammad, an Indiana native, is working hard to preserve Harriet Tubman's legacy. Following her…

12 hours ago

Liquor store clerk shocked she sold $1.13B Mega Millions ticket without knowing identity of purchaser

TiYahna Bambaata, a clerk at a New Jersey liquor store, sold the $1.13 billion Mega…

14 hours ago

Meet Safro Fades, the barber who uses hammers, knives and made history winning a ‘Barber Grammy’

Martin "Safro Fades" Safari is not a barber who follows the conventional rules of the…

16 hours ago

After being slammed for bragging about being rich, rapper Latto sends fan $2K for rent money

Latto has once again won the hearts of her followers after making a generous donation…

17 hours ago

Man accused of fatally stabbing Walmart worker allegedly gave all African Americans at store ‘dirty looks’

Authorities in Illinois have arrested and charged a man in connection with the fatal stabbing…

17 hours ago

Diddy no longer owner of Revolt TV as new mystery owner takes over: report

Almost a decade ago, Sean "P Diddy" Combs launched a cable music channel called Revolt…

18 hours ago

Krystal Anderson: Longtime Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader dies after stillbirth

Krystal Lakeshia Anderson, a longtime cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs and a women’s health…

18 hours ago

Owners of bowling alley where Takeoff was shot blame rapper for his death in response to lawsuit

The owners of the bowling alley where Takeoff was fatally shot are asking a judge…

19 hours ago

How Crawford-Williams started a movement in her apartment that now supports hundreds of small businesses in Detroit

Get to know Jennyfer Crawford-Williams; she is behind All Things Detroit Day, an annual event…

1 day ago

Two friends treat South African security guard to once in a lifetime helicopter ride over the rainbow nation

Two friends in their 20s made a heartwarming gesture to their apartment's security guard after…

1 day ago

From errand-runner to multi-business owner, meet 2024 Enterprising Woman of the Year Roslyn Ellerbee

Roslyn Ellerbee, the CEO and founder of Dream Team Digital Marketing, Manifesting Greatness with Roslyn…

1 day ago

Kevin Hart loses big after selling his Bored Ape NFT, raises concerns over future of NFTs

In 2022, American actor and comedian Kevin Hart joined a growing list of celebrities who…

2 days ago

Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley makes history again with national coach of the year win

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has picked South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley…

2 days ago