Agrihouse Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Northern Regional Coordinating Council has launched the 11th edition of the Annual Pre-harvest Agribusiness Exhibitions and Conference event.
The annual Pre-harvest Agribusiness Exhibition and Conference is an event designed to train and establish stakeholder linkages, exhibit and expand agribusiness opportunities across the country.
Speaking at the launch, the Chief Executive Officer of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, stated that the event is aimed at among other things, reduce market access challenges in Ghana as well as “highlight and address the challenges COVID-19 pandemic has intensified within the agricultural sector; the effects it has posed on marketing Agri-foods, while exploring existing market channels to address these challenges.
She also noted that over the years, the event has been of immense benefit to over 100,000 farmers and agribusinesses in the agricultural value chains.
“It has helped to considerably remove constraints of market access to farmers and agribusinesses, who require access to lucrative markets and economic opportunities to improve their livelihoods and those of their families. This year, our outfit is targeting over 3,000 participants,” she added.
On his part, the West Africa Regional Director for Yara International, Danquah Addo-Yobo, re-afirmed his outfit’s commitment to continue the partnership with Agrihouse Foundation to create opportunities for value chain actors through the conference.
He re-emphasised the need for farmers to increase their business network as this is crucial to reaching a wider market.
“I think we miss the point to make business, while driving agricultural growth. This avenue creates a platform for consolidating smallholder farmers, hence farmers should take advantage of it to network,” he said.
He also reiterated its commitment to ensuring that there are enough fertilisers on the market.
This year’s event will include some key features. These include:
Training and Capacity-Building Sessions in sizable groups, to enlighten the farmers on agric related topics that increase their knowledge and skills as farmers.
Also, this year, ADB, YARA, OCP AFRICA and UFCL, will the leading discussions in this session with topics including:- how to achieve inclusivity in the agric supply chain; the roles of farmers in community development; Learning, unlearning and relearning processes in the agricultural sector.