The Market Oriented Agriculture Programme (MOAP) of GIZ has revealed to host its second Agribusiness Fair and Conference in Wa, Upper West Region on 19th-20th May 2021. This year’s edition is under the theme “Boosting the Agribusiness Potential in North Western Ghana.”
GIZ will work with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council (UWRCC) to organize this year’s edition. The conference will mainly focus on core issues to enhance quality in agricultural production, increase income and create jobs along value chains. There will be a maximum of 50 conference participants on-site. The majority will join virtually via Facebook Live sessions through GIZ Ghana and the EU Delegation to Ghana handles. Participants include all actors in the agricultural value chains.
Speaking in an interview, Dr Elke Stumpf, Head of the MOAP provided details on this year’s edition. She revealed that the registration process has started for interested exhibitors and participants.
“In 2019, we discussed issues of Agri-finance, Marketing, Infrastructure and Youth in Agriculture. We are excited about the insights gained from the maiden conference as well as the testimonials from our participants.
“We look forward to take the conversations to the next level to support the expansion of the Agribusiness sector in the North West. Therefore we wish to demonstrate that agribusiness is a worthwhile venture.”
Dr Elke Stumpf, Head of the MOAP.
In this year’s conference, there will be discussion on crucial topics such as Climate Change, Digitalization and Women Empowerment. Dr Elke Stumpf revealed that a grand exhibition to showcase agricultural innovations, technology and products will follow the main discussions. The exhibition will also promote Business-to-Business (B2B) networking among agribusiness industry players and relevant stakeholders, she added.
The Market Oriented Agriculture Programme (MOAP)
The MOAP is an initiative of GIZ to expand the agricultural sector’s potential of Ghana, West Africa’s second largest economy. The aim of the programme is to enhance quality in agricultural production, to increase income and create jobs along the value chains. The supported value chains are citrus, mango, pineapple, vegetables in the South and cashew, groundnuts, sorghum, among others in North West. Funds for the programme comes from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
On the successes so far, more than 40,000 farmers have benefited from capacity building by MoFA and private enterprises. Over 300 agro-input dealers have had their capacities built to best serve clients on agro-input usage. Also, in collaboration with 17 aggregators, input funds have been established in MOAP North West.
On processing, 90 food processors also gained support in developing hygienic manufacturing practices and establishing effective linkages to suppliers and buyers. Contract farming has been successfully introduced to 12,000 producers to facilitate increased security. This has reduced costs of inputs for the farmer. It has also made raw material of the required quality and quantity readily available for farmers and off-taker.
Furthermore, MOAP has also contributed in plant quarantine, pest and disease control as well as fertilizer and pesticides regulations. Consequently, MOAP has contributed significantly to the establishment of an inspection system at crucial export points.
Read also: 2020 National Best Farmer receives GH570,000 prize from ADB
