Concluding the group’s week-long trip to the U.S., the Ghanaian delegation launched a national farm show and an agricultural-focused multi-media platform to gain North American agribusiness support. The National Food and Agriculture Show (FAGRO) and Farm Channel share a common goal – to support the country’s rapidly growing agricultural sector with modern production practices that are low-cost and environmentally sustainable.

To watch and listen to the press conference, go to

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/14991301

“As we move from subsistence agriculture, we need machinery and technology and know how to use them,” explains Cecilia Erzuah, finance and administration officer of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana. “We want to learn lessons from North America’s agriculture success. FAGRO will enable agricultural suppliers to showcase their products, and it lets our markets know what they have. Farm Channel uses media to promote our extension services and provide information to farmers. ”

FAGRO is a national agricultural trade event that brings together domestic and international companies to present new technologies, trends in agricultural marketing, farm business management and production practices. The 2011 event will be October 7-16 in Accra, Ghana

With a launch to North American businesses, FAGRO organizers hope to heighten international interest in the show and the country’s agricultural potential within the following sectors:

• Farm machinery and equipment
• Agricultural inputs
• Farm and agribusiness services
• Agricultural commodities and value-added products

Complementing FAGRO’s information-sharing platform, Farm Channel is a multi-media communications initiative that will supply year-round information important to agricultural, food and rural development. Television shows, mobile content, radio programs, internet publications and live events will reach millions of farmers and farm villages while creating an industry network.

Ghana will be one of the top ten fastest growing economies in the world from 2011-2015. Accounting for approximately 42 percent of the nation’s GDP and 54 percent of its labor force, agriculture is the driving force behind the growing economy. Ghanaian farmers grow a diverse mix of crops including cocoa, cassava, citrus, pineapple, palm oil and mangos.