The pre-harvest agribusiness event slated for October 19

Accra, Sept 30, GNA - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of Ghana will host the Seventh Annual Pre-harvest Agribusiness Event on October 19, in Tamale.

A statement issued by the USAID Advance Project and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the event was being organised through Feed the Future's Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE) project and serves as a platform for farmers to establish business relationships for the 2017 maize, rice, and soybean harvest.

'The event is expected to bring together over 1,000 farmers, buyers, input dealers, manufacturers, government officials, development partners and financial institutions, among others,' it said.

'The agribusiness event aims to expand businesses and forge new partnerships to promote the growth of Ghana's agricultural sector.

'The theme for this year's pre-harvest is 'Keep Going, No U-Turn,' encourages agribusinesses working in the rice, maize and soy value chains to adopt best practices and seek new partnerships, to ensure the achievements made within the industry are sustained,' the statement added.

'The 2017 Annual Pre-Harvest Agribusiness Event promises to be one of the largest gatherings of value chain actors since the inception of the program seven years ago,' remarked Chief of Party for ADVANCE Dr Emmanuel Dormon.

'It is very important for us to use this year's event to celebrate what we have achieved, but also find ways of ensuring sustainability,' he added.

The statement said over the years, the event had helped farmers access new market opportunities and higher yielding seeds to increase agricultural productivity.

It noted that the event would feature an exhibition showcasing leading agricultural organizations in the areas of seed production, fertilizer, storage, machinery and technology.

It said participants would have the opportunity to network with over 1000 agribusinesses.

Feed the Future is the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative.

With a focus on smallholder farmers, particularly women, Feed the Future supports partner countries in developing their agriculture sectors to spur economic growth and trade that increase incomes and reduce hunger, poverty, and under-nutrition.

For more information, visit www.feedthefuture.gov.
The Feed the Future Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE) Project, through USAID, is a five-year project implemented by a consortium led by ACDI/VOCA.

The project's main goal is to increase the competitiveness of the maize, rice, and soya value chains in Ghana and aims to reach more than 113,000 smallholder farmers by end of 2018.

GNA