MTN, MISTOWA To Boost Agribusiness

A Regional Agricultural Market Information Systems and Trades’ Organisation (MISTOWA), expected to operate in the West African sub region will soon sign a contract with MTN-Ghana, a telecommunication Company.

This is aimed at creating an electronic trades platform on the company’s cellular network to facilitate agriculture business among farmer-based organisations and other clients in the sub-region.

Dr. Siegfried Kofi Debrah, Coordinator of MISTOWA, announced this at the inauguration of Agri-Business Information Point (ABIP) at Hohoe on Tuesday, bringing its outlets of the facility to 17 in Ghana and a total of 150 in the sub region.

He said MISTOWA was challenged to provide accurate and timely agricultural market information, to assist in increasing trade in agricultural produce in the sub-region.

Dr. Debrah said, over 4,700 interested parties have been registered and over 2,000 stakeholders including farmers and trade associations were being trained in computer and internet connectivity to facilitate transactions in the sub-region.

He said a farmer who had for instance 100 cattle to sell would only be required to feed the platform with this information with his contact address and intended price per cattle ,and a prospective buyer would readily respond, triggering a fruitful transaction.

'This provides an accurate and timely information on what is available, where, at what price and who to contact,' Dr. Debrah said.

Mr. John Peter Amewu, Hohoe District Chief Executive, appealed to MISTOWA to work hard towards the success of the project.

He pledged the Assembly’s support for MISTOWA, in view of its inclusion in the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) pact.

Mr. Innocent Kouassi, an official of MISTOWA, said the Anokati ABIP sold maize amounting to 15 million dollars in the last five months through the networking and appealed to farmers to embrace the concept.