This year’s Pre-Harvest Agribusiness Exhibition and Conference has been launched in Accra with a call on players in the agriculture value chain to take advantage of the programme to showcase their products and strike new business deals.
The Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, who made the call said the programme offered a platform for players in the agriculture value chain to sell their products and services and also discuss challenges facing the sector.
The programme expected to take place at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium, Tamale in the Northern Region, from Tuesday, October 19 to Thursday, October 21, is on the theme ‘Working Together to Improve Market Channels for Agri-Foods beyond the Pandemic.”
It is being organised by Agrihouse Foundation, and being sponsored the Agricultural Development Bank; Yara Ghana, OCP Africa, Ecobank Ghana and the United Fertilizer Company Limited, with collaborations from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and the Northern Regional Coordinating Council.
Ms Akosa said the Pre-harvest Agribusiness Conference and Exhibitions, was a major event on the Ghanaian agricultural calendar and had over the years, served as a stimulating platform for training, and for creating increased stakeholder linkages, exhibitions and opportunities for players in the agricultural sector.
The Executive Director said the event served as a stimulating platform for match-making, exchange, agribusiness development, increased stakeholder linkages and growth in local economies through the creation of expanded agribusiness opportunities.
“The programme is aimed at promoting dialogue and forging sustainable business partnerships amongst value chain actors especially farmers, buyers, processors, transporters, input and equipment dealers, financial institutions and telecommunication companies,” Ms Akosa, said.
She said this year’s programme would discuss the impact COVID-19 had had on the agricultural sector and the marketing of agribusiness foods, and explore existing market channels to address those challenges.
“Another key highlight of the 3-day event will be the field demonstrations, where farmers and actors get to practically learn, appreciate and adopt best practices in farm management,” she said.
The Chief of Bamvim Traditional Area, Bamvimlana-Mahama Abdulai, the guest speaker, in a speech read on his behalf by Harruna Abubakari Sadiq, commended Agrihouse Foundation for sustaining the Pre-Harvest Exhibition and Conference bequeath to the organisation by the USAID Advance project in 2017.
He said over the last ten years, the Pre-harvest Agribusiness Exhibitions and Conference had been the key event that had supported the growth and development of Agriculture in the Northern Ghana.
Bamvimlana-Mahama Abdulai appealed to the government to support Agrihouse Foundation to enable the organisation to continue organising the programme and construct an Agrihouse Foundation Agri-Village in Bamvim.
As part of the programme, the Chief of Bamvim Traditional Area presented documents on a 10-acre land it had donated to Agrihouse Foundation to construct an Agrihouse Agri-Village in Bamvim, to the Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Ms Akosa.
The West Africa Regional Manager of Yara, Danquah Addo-Yobo, said his outfit was excited to have partnered and sponsored the programme for the past ten years.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
