3 months ago
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The fourth edition of the Eastern Commodity Satellite Market Fair (ECSMF) was on Thursday launched in Koforidua by the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council and the Regional and District Agriculture Departments.
Launched on the theme, ‘Fostering Agribusiness Growth and Youth Development: The Role of the Eastern Commodity Satellite Market Fair,’ it is to among other things, promote agribusiness, value addition, sustainable livelihoods, and enhance the incomes and living standards of agricultural communities.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, who officially launched the event, noted that the concept was conceived to address a critical need identified during the 2019 Research Extension Linkage Committee planning session.
He emphasised the need for a platform to connect smallholder farmers and processors with both traditional and digital markets due to the region’s abundance of high-quality produce.
The Regional Minister said since its inception, the fair had facilitated successful market linkages for about 13,655 farmers and smallholder processors, showcased over 60 brands of value-added products, and generated an estimated millions of Ghana cedis.
The New Juaben South Municipal Agriculture Director, Tharzia Numako Akwetey, expressed the need to unlock the potential of youth and farmers for sustained economic growth and development in the region.
Eastern Regional Director for Agriculture, Hajia Habiba Yusufu, described the initiative as a transformative platform for innovation and growth, celebrating the region’s agricultural heritage.
She commended all stakeholders for their contributions to the success of the launch and the fair and reiterated the need for continued support to further the goals of the initiative.
FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, KOFORIDUA
