Two bodies agree to increase agricultural incomes in West Africa

Accra, July 22, GNA - Agribusiness and Trade Promotion (ATP), USAID funded project, to promote West Africa sub-region's economic and social development and Croplife Africa Middle East, a global network for the plant science industry on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

This is to strengthen cooperation to improve the volume and value of agricultural produce in West Africa. The MOU presents a framework for the two organizations to design and implement programmes to provide the agricultural sector with innovative technologies and the expertise to improve productivity, secure harvest, and establish and strengthen access to input and out put markets.

As per the agreement, the partnership would support interventions in a number of areas, including technical capacity building, business linkages, awareness creation and advocacy promotion. These interventions are aimed at improving agricultural productivity in order to ensure food security by supplying the food chain with healthy, affordable and varied produce, with the long-term aim of transforming subsistence agriculture into small scale enterprises, to improve the livelihoods of the rural population in the sub-region.

"We are particularly pleased with this partnership because it represents our collective responsibility to ensure food security in the sub-region", said Dr Ismael Ouedraogo, Chief of Party of ATP in Accra. He said the four-year regional project would promote inter-regional trade in West Africa, engender sustainable development through agriculture and also increase the volume and value of trade countries in the sub-region.

Dr Rudolf Guyer, Executive President of Croplife Africa Middle East, said the move would improve the capacity of the region's agricultural sector and ensure that farmers had access to quality inputs and other innovative technologies for sustained food security. The agreement will initially cover interventions in the production, harvest, storage, transportation and marketing of maize, onions, shallots, and livestock. 2