The 7th International Trade Show & Conference on Agriculture, Food & Beverage Technology on West Africa agrofood and plastprintpack has opened in Accra, Ghana with a name on West African international locations to grab alternatives on the truthful to extend self-sufficiency within the agriculture worth chain.
The three-day convention (from Tuesday, November 29,–Thursday, December 1, 2022), christened: “7th agrofood & plastprintpack West Africa 2022,” is organised by fairtrade Messe in collaboration with its native companions, Geovision.
It is geared toward serving to international locations within the West African Sub-region to extend self-sufficiency and likewise enhance provide within the agricultural worth chain.
Six international locations will probably be mounting pavilions at this 12 months’s exhibition.
These are Germany, Italy, Iran, The Netherlands, South Africa and Sri Lanka.
In whole, over 90 exhibitors from 20 international locations will showcase merchandise, applied sciences and options particularly tailor-made for the West African market.
Welcoming exhibitors to the truthful, the Managing Director (MD) of fairtrade Messe, Paul Maerz, disclosed that the exhibitors come from international locations together with Belgium, Burkina Faso, Egypt, France, Ghana, Spain, Hungary, Sri Lanka Turkey and United Arab Emirates.
The relaxation, he talked about, are Ivory Coast, Italy, Morocco, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, South Africa and USA.
According to him, the West African marketplace for agricultural know-how has turn into very key.
He stated this towards the backdrop that West Africa imports of agricultural equipment has reached round 200 million Euros yearly.
“West Africa’s food & beverages technology imports increased by 5.8% annually from 496 million Euros to 694 million Euros in 2021 (VDMA),” he revealed.
Further, Mr. Maerz stated West African imports of plastics know-how accounted for 217 million Euros in 2020, having elevated from 219 million Euros in 2018 to 263 million Euros in 2019.
He, due to this fact, seized the prospect to specific gratitude to their Ghanaian companions together with the Ministries of Food and Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, the Association of Ghana Industries, Food and Beverage Association of Ghana amongst others.
The Director, Plants Protection Services on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) Mr. Eric Bentsil Quaye, stated agriculture is the mainstay of Ghana’s financial system and nonetheless continues to contribute closely to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“It also creates employment and generates income through export,” he added.
According to him, farmers within the West African Sub-region and different locations had been going through a great deal of challenges.
He attributed the issues confronting farmers in West Africa particularly to world actions such because the Covid, the continued Russia-Ukraine battle and local weather change.
These adverse developments, Mr. Bentsil Quaye stated, have caused meals safety problem within the area.
However, he was joyful to say that the Government of Ghana’s (GoG) flagship programme of Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) has largely helped maintain the nation’s meals financial system.
He stated Ghana ‘s agriculture strategy synthesises government’s coverage framework and motion plans for attaining self-sustained progress in all of the agriculture sub-sectors.
Again, Mr. Bentsil Quaye indicated that MoFA was decreasing the importation of inorganic fertilisers by encouraging the non-public sector to put money into natural compost.
“We have also built adequate warehouses to address post-harvest losses often associated with harvest,” he stated.
All these measures, he identified, are geared in direction of boosting meals manufacturing in Ghana.
He described the commerce convention as “timely,” and recommended the organisers.
In a quick comment, the Italian Ambassador to Ghana and Togo, H.E. Ms. Daniela d’Orlandi, stated Italy and Ghana have a powerful bilateral relations which has labored nicely for the mutual good thing about the 2 international locations.
She stated the commerce truthful will additional bolster the relations between Italy and Ghana, including that it’ll afford Ghanaian corporations the chance to community and join with Italian corporations.
The Deputy Head of Mission, Federal Republic of Germany, Ms. Suvine Jansen, who was very impressed with the variety of exhibitors on the occasion, revealed that eleven German corporations will probably be exhibiting their merchandise.