The Bono East regional directorate of the department of agriculture has organized a day’s mini trade fair in Atebubu with the objective of promoting business partnerships and market linkages to make agriculture and related activities both attractive and profitable.
According to the regional director of agriculture Mrs. Cecilia Kagya-Agyeman, the fair was to offer agriculture value chain actors which include farmers, sellers, processors, input dealers, and aggregators the platform to showcase their products and services to create business opportunities for them.
She said with the advent of the ‘planting for food and jobs’ and ‘planting for export and rural development’ initiatives of the current government, agriculture production has increased thereby necessitating the creation of marketing and business opportunities for both existing actors and the youth who might want to take advantage of the vast opportunities offered by the various activities in the value chain to create jobs for themselves.
Opening the fair, the Atebubu-Amantin municipal chief executive, Hon. Edward Owusu stressed that it comes with vast potentials for the people of Atebubu-Amantin since about 70% of them are farmers.
He said adding value to primary agricultural produce offers vast employment opportunities and increased incomes pledging the support of the assembly to the various value chain actors.
Participants who were drawn from Atebubu-Amantin, Sene east and west as well as the Pru east and west had the opportunity to brief officials on their products and services, challenges and potentials.
Products exhibited included farm equipment, input, primary agricultural commodities and value added products like packaged ‘prekese’ ‘dawadawa’ turkey berries, known locally as ‘kwawu nsosa’ honey and assorted traditional food drinks among others.