Plans are afoot to make this year’s National Food and Agriculture Exhibitions (FAGRO Exhibitions 2017) a historic one.

According to General Manager of the FAGRO Secretariat, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, the National Food and Agriculture Show (FAGRO) Secretariat is ready for the event to be held from September 26th to September 30th, 2017 at the Tamale Sports Stadium.

She said, "the five day fair is activity-laden to yet again, underline FAGRO’s commitment to making a compelling statement for a national focus on agriculture”.

She added that “this year is a positive one for FAGRO and agriculture in general, as the government has towed the line with the planting for food and job agenda. We are convinced that the Agric sector deserves even more than the attention it is currently receiving. FAGRO’s focus in the north this year is to implement the vision we have for the north as the nation’s bread basket. This is because, when agriculture is developed in North that well-endowed region will consequently take its pride of place, and Ghana’s developmental agenda will be greatly stepped up”.

Highlights of the activities for this year’s event include; a leadership summit for Women in Agriculture, an Agric College Dialogue, a seminar on how to Structure Strong farmers Cooperatives, Business Plan Writing Bootcamp for Agribusiness players and a forum to discuss the government1 District 1 factory agenda.

The Secretariat in partnership with Yara Ghana, the National Farmers and Fishermen Award Winners Association, Dizengoff, John Deere, Africa Lead and the Northern Regional Coordinating Council will roll out these activities during the five-day fair which is expected to welcome thousands to the northern regional capital.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of Ghana, The Minister of Food and Agriculture, The Northern Regional Minister, The Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, District Chief Executives, Farmers, Agric input dealers, Machinery companies, Financial institutions and many others will grace the opening ceremony and the exhibition itself.

The Women in Agriculture seminar holds on the opening day, to offer women the sector the resources to enhance their knowledge as well as provide networking opportunities linking various partners on the agriculture value chain. The highlight of the seminar will be a focus on career opportunities for female producers in agriculture.

Agric College dialogue which comes off on day two, offering colleges a platform to ventilate their challenges in the study of agriculture in their respective institutions. The one-day event will feature mentorship modules where students will be paired with mentors to discuss ways to survive on the job market with an agricultural background. The college dialogue aims at redirecting students’ attention to making Agric a priority career choice.

The Agribusiness training on Business plan proposal writing, takes off the next day, as a practical training session for entrepreneurs, farmers and agribusiness persons on how to write credit-yielding business plans to bait investors and partners so as to boost their expansion plans.

Considered the torch bearer event that signposts Agric as Ghana’s answer to its development dilemma, the FAGRO exhibition will bring Agric-oriented companies (manufacturers, agro-input, financing companies, packaging companies, processing companies, irrigation, Green housing companies, farmer-based organizations) and all directorates of the ministry of agriculture to one venue; Tamale Sports stadium, to showcase their products and policies, forge new business contacts and network with over 1000 exhibitors during the five-day fair.

“Workshops, training programs and farm tours will also be organized during this period... It’s our flagship program and has set the benchmark for other programs to be rolled out every year by the Secretariat”, Nana Akyaa Akosa explained.

The district dialogue; 1 district 1factory agenda, signs off FAGRO Secretariat 2017 event year. The conference will build on how feasible the government’s 1district 1factory agenda is within the shortest possible time frame; the opportunities within the districts and how ready these districts are to embrace the identified opportunities. The discussions will span across possible recommendations from industry experts and how best government can deliver on this agenda.

FAGRO 2017 is supported by Yara Ghana, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Dziengoff Ghana Limited, AFGRI Equipment Ghana, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, The National Farmers and Fishermen Award Winners Association, Ghana (NFFAWAG) and the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (RCC)