Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL), producers of Ruut Extra Premium Beer, Ghana’s first cassava beer, has presented a sponsorship package valued at GH¢ 70,000 towards the 30th National Farmers’ Day.

The gesture covered three tricycles, 400 pieces of branded cloths, 150 crates of assorted drinks and a Vari Mini Van.

Mrs Solange Kuimo, Head of Innovation and Marketing Manager of Spirits at GGBL, said: “GGBL is proud to be a major sponsor of this year’s Farmers Day with its flagship innovation, Ruut Extra Premium beer, Ghana first cassava beer and the Ghana Made Emerging Product of the year 2014.

“This year, GGBL has increased the usage of raw materials from 12 per cent to 42 per cent over what we used when we started in 2012 and we believe this will significantly grow Ghana’s agricultural supply chain.”

Rita Rockson, Communications Manager of GGBL, said ‘GGBL had been investing in local raw material sourcing for more than a decade; working in partnership with local farmers, key government ministries and agencies as well as researchers to help develop sustainable local raw materials for production.

“We are proud to recognize and support our farmers as we celebrate National Farmer’s Day,” she stated.

“Ruut Extra Premium beer will continue to support in making Ghana a better place especially for our farmers, who feed the nation and their communities and also push the agenda of ‘Eating What We Grow”.

Mrs Hannah Bisisiw, a Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, who received a dummy cheque on behalf of the 2014 Farmers’ Day Planning Committee, expressed gratitude to GGBL for contributing ahead of the day and also using locally produced cassava for brewing beer.

She said: “You are directly using our cassava, it means that we can comfortably go into cassava farming, knowing that we have Guinness Ghana that we can supply to, we are grateful, our farmers say thank you.”

Ruut Extra is brewed to the highest international standard with cassava sourced locally.