The 11th Pre-harvest Agribusiness Conference and Exhibition has begun in Tamale in the Northern region.
The three-day exhibition is expected to have capacity-building activities, practical training sessions, workshops, and exhibitions.
The exhibitions will also showcase a wide range of products and services – seed production and preservation, fertilizers, finance, fisheries, storage, machinery, livestock, packaging & processing, food, innovation, ICT, government agencies, development partners, and farmers & farming associations.
The Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa said the 3-days will mark the beginning of value chain partnerships, to promote sustainable agricultural initiatives; increase the use of innovation and technology, to help build a modern agricultural sector.
“Within these 3-days, our farmers and stakeholders will be engaged in various capacity building and training sessions that will help them adopt best farming practices to increase their yields and productivity.”
According to her, the 11th Pre-harvest Agribusiness Conference and Exhibitions will be highlighting successful agribusiness modules to introduce farmers and value chain actors to successful cases studies of agribusinesses and projects they can adopt, as they curve a growth and investment path, for their respective Agribusinesses.
The Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation indicated that there will also be a Gender Workshop and Agri-Youth Forum to be held to underscore the efforts of women in the agric space, while highlighting support structures that can be improved or designed to help them scale up their efforts to build sustainable food systems adding that the Agri-Youth Forum will be both practical and motivational; a session that will shed light on how today’s youth can connect to the future of agriculture, through diverse innovative and creative approaches.
Madam Akosa disclosed that in 2019, over 70 business deals were made during the Exhibition; and more than GHS232, 420,745 of Agri products and equipment were sold and bought.
Again in 2020, the event recorded 3,122 participants and 122 exhibitors including farmers, traders, input companies, machinery and equipment providers, transporters, and financial institutions, among others.
She stated that the impact story continues this year with over (100) hundred Agribusiness Exhibitors and over (3,000) three thousand participants registered to be part of the 3-days event.
She revealed that the state of the art Agri-Tourism and Training Centre, when established in the short to long term, will be a home for hundreds of agribusinesses in the country, whiles supporting to fully commercializing the sector and that the venue will house different type of farm sites; Demonstration Centers Conference and Workshop halls, Restrooms, Exhibition stores for Agric Companies, Training and Recreational Centers, Storage and Processing Centers, Production rooms, and Laboratories and Research Centers.
The Northern Regional Minister, Shani Alhaasan Shaibu at the event commended Agrihouse Foundation for creating a platform that has helped farmers to access new market opportunities, increase their knowledge, and improve their higher yields annually.
“ This event has provided the right platform for commodity buyers and farmers to establish business relationships and discuss contracts for the harvest of maize, rice and soybean.”
The Northern Regional Minister indicated that agriculture is the backbone of Ghana’s economy, and that it accounts for over 74% of northern Ghana’s employment.
He said the government is committed in the direction of accelerating development in the northern zone, especially, Planting for Food and Jobs Program.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale