Hershey assisting peanut farmers, children in Ghana

The Hershey Co. today announced it will train 7,500 peanut farmers in Ghana as part of a new Clinton Global Initiative commitment.

The Derry Township-based company will commit $1 million to the effort, spokesman Jeff Beckman said.

The farmers will be trained on improved agronomic practices to boost the peanut supply for local commercial markets. Part of the effort will help with production of a vitamin- and mineral-fortified supplement, called Vivi, that is distributed by Hershey to schoolchildren in Ghana.

Hershey has committed to 100 percent local sourcing of peanuts by 2018 for its production of Vivi, which the company produces at no cost through a partnership with the Ghana School Feeding Programme and the nonprofit Project Peanut Butter.

In addition to capacity building and training, Hershey said it will provide financial and in-kind resources to rehabilitate a local peanut roasting facility.

Hershey's involvement will establish a premium price for local peanut production in Ghana, which should boost local income, the company said.

"Ghana has a long history of producing peanuts, known locally as groundnuts," said Mike Wege, chief administrative officer at Hershey. "Yet rural farmers lack access to commercial buyers due to quality and food safety issues, so they struggle with low incomes."