The Eastern Regional Coordinating Council in partnership with Torchbearer International Agricultural Science and Technology (TIAST) group has organised the Eastern Regional Agribusiness Investors Conference and Exhibition on Tuesday at Koforidua.
The event which was organised for two days, was intended to ensure the progress of the Eastern Commodity Satellite Market Agenda started in 2019, an initiative intended to leverage on improved agricultural value addition as pathway to developing agricultural industrialisation in the region.
Themed: “Achieving Agricultural Industrialisation through the Eastern Commodity Satellite Markets: Financial and Technical Support from TIAST,” the event brought together agribusiness men and women who came to showcase and manage their products as well as municipal chief executives, agricultural extension agents, agricultural regional and district officers who came to grace the occasion.
Speaking at the conference, the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Seth Kwame Acheampong stated that the event would boost agricultural industrialisation, contribute to the local economic development of the districts as well as promote value addition to agricultural produce.
“It would also enhance the supply of good quality agricultural produce for processors and consumers and link small scale farmers and processors to markets,” he said.
The minister indicated that there was a paradigm shift in agriculture from just primary production to value addition, adding that “the only way a small holder farmer can maximise profits in a perfectly competitive market where the market dictates the price is by product differentiation through value addition, branding and packaging with special emphasis on quality.”
Mr Acheampong said it was therefore, gratifying to have TIAST Group partnering with the Eastern Commodity Satellite and added that the event was in direct response to the ever-increasing demand for quality and safe foods, and the opportunity it would bring to the region in terms of industrialisation and job creation.
He said the event inspired by instinctive creativity and exemplary commitment of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s vision would contribute significantly to agricultural productivity, revealing that the region can boast of three out of six agro ecological zones in the country, making it conducive for the production of nearly all crops grown in the country.
Mr Acheampong was grateful to TIAST group for such partnership and stated that even though their main targets was large scale investors, they should design a concept that would embrace the small scale processors playing key roles in the Eastern Commodity Satellite Markets.
For her part, the Chairperson for TIAST Group, Ms Lisa Hao stated that her outfits looked forward to partner investors, entrepreneurs and farmers in the region to transform the sector positively.
“In a space of 10 years we are looking forward to creating one thousand factories, one million job and ten billion US dollars in West Africa. With our 70-80 financial support, technical service and offtake service, our partners are assured of a great agricultural experience.”
She indicated that their partnership with the RCC was to support the agribusinesses to add more value to their raw products, link them to stable markets by giving them the platform, adding all was geared towards discovering the wealth of the agriculture sector for the benefit all.
FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, KOFORIDUA
