Agro Processing Forum to address critical issues
A two-day Agro Processing Comoliance forum to be held in Accra next Tuesday will seek to address challenges facing the industry including access to new packaging of products,finance and value addition.
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It will also discuss critical issues concerning the agro industry in the country, share ideas and how to address challenges facing the industry.
Personalties slated to address the forum, which is scheduled to take place on November 24 and 25, 2015, include Vice-President Kwesi Amissah Arthur, Ekwow Spio Garbrah, Trade and Industry Minister and Fifi Kwetey, Minister of Agriculture.
Organised by the Millennium Leadership Forum, the event would comprise a series of high-level panel discussions, a ministerial roundtable session, facilitation meetings and thematic workshops. It is on the theme: “Agro-Processing Compliance: A Key to Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa.”
The Project Coordinator of the event organisers, Mr John Bosco Tieyiri said, “There will also be exchange of knowledge, as well as an exhibition addressing issues that are critical to the agro processing enterprise’’.
He said the forum would also touch on branding and intellectual property,handling and managing food waste,global consumer trends and proper packaging of products.
It would also discuss the need to meet international standards and not to adulterate product with harmful substances.
Mr Tieyiri said the addition of sub standard products would harm the market and such products will be prohibited from entering the international market.
FDA and contaminated food substances
Mr Tieyiri cited the recent confiscation of adulterated palm oil with poisonous additives such as Sudan IV (an industrial dye often used for dyeing plastics and other synthetic home appliances) by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) as example of such critical issues.
Mr Tieyiri added that should this situation happen again, products made in Africa would be refused on the international market.
The forum, he said, was open to leading consumer food and beverage companies, as well as companies seeking new markets.
He added that it was necessary to bring together key players in the food processing and agro-business sub-sector across the West Africa sub-region so they could network and exchange professional ideas.
