Workshop on Market Information ends

Techiman (B/A) Aug. 18, GNA - A-two day residential training workshop in Market Information System (MIS) for 40 participants drawn from Brong-Ahafo region has ended at Techiman in Brong-Ahafo Region. The workshop, the fourth in a series after Bolgatanga, WA and Tamale is being organised by TECHNOSERVE in collaboration with the International Institute for Communication Development (IICD).

The participants were selected from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Farmers Groups, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the Media across the region. The workshop is aimed at equipping participants with the necessary skills to collect, process and disseminate market information to interest groups in the agricultural industry.

Opening it, Mr. James Nsiah, Brong-Ahafo Industry Coordinator of TECHNOSERVE /Ghana, said marketing information gathering and dissemination had become key ingredients and successful business hence the need to train groups engaged in agricultural activities. Mr. Nsiah said the availability of market information to farmers would help eliminate ignorance on market conditions and help them to better price their commodities.

He expressed the hope that the participants would take the workshop seriously to enable them to face challenges of the market forces that impact on agriculture.

Mrs. Jane Quagraine, Project Manager of TECHNOSERVE /Ghana decried the limited role played by government in developing countries in providing market information to farmers. Mrs. Quagraine urged farmers and traders to assume the responsibilities since their success depended on the availability of marketing information.

Mr. Stephen Muinkaara, Upper West Regional Industry Coordinator of TECHNOSERVE asked the participants to share the knowledge acquired at the workshop since the success of their growth would depend on how they extend the skills to other members.

Giving an overview of TECHNOSERVE activities, Mrs. Lulet Lampoh, Business Advisor of TECHNOSERVE, said her organization actively involved in advising macro-small and medium sized businesses that supply market to the rural poor through processing and trading of agricultural goods. Some of the topics treated at the workshop included, data gathering and observation, units of scale, conversion and standardization and types of market and prices.