More than 100 agribusinesses from across Ghana are expected to participate in this year’s Agri-Fair, a three-day event organized by Citi FM and Channel One TV.
The fair will run from Friday, June 20, to Sunday, June 22, at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra, and aims to provide a direct sales platform for farmers, processors, and producers to connect with consumers and buyers.
According to Samuel Attah-Mensah, Managing Director of Citi FM, the Agri-Fair is designed as a “one-stop shop” that brings together fresh agricultural produce, livestock, and aquaculture products under one roof. He said the event goes beyond just exhibition, providing a space where goods will be available for purchase at significantly reduced prices.
“It’s a sales exhibition. So it’s not just for display. No, they are selling. They are selling at farm gate prices,” Attah-Mensah said. “If you went to Mokola and you are buying tomato for 60 cedis, you are likely to get it here for between 40 and 50 cedis.”
The event is meant to showcase Ghana’s agricultural potential and also expose the structural inefficiencies that prevent producers from reaching markets efficiently. Attah-Mensah pointed to a significant disconnect between farmers and the end consumer.
“We are not able to extract the full benefit or the full value of what happens because there are impediments from farm to table,” he said. “The platform that we are raising is to promote what we have and also to talk about the potential to expand the footprint of agriculture.”
The Agri-Fair aligns with current government policy and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s renewed focus on agribusiness expansion and food systems transformation. According to Attah-Mensah, participants include a mix of smallholder farmers, livestock breeders, fisheries operators, and larger commercial agribusinesses, many of whom are eager to reach new markets.
“A gentleman came here all the way from Afram Plains just to try and market his chicken,” he said. “He was here a few times to market his chicken and said, ‘Look, we have it there. Our problem is how to get it to the market.’”
Organizers say the fair also provides an opportunity to build lasting commercial relationships between producers and bulk buyers, retailers, and off-takers. By providing a venue that connects supply directly to demand, the Agri-Fair helps address a core issue in the sector: accessibility.
“People generally will buy out of convenience,” Attah-Mensah said. “If you have a quality product and your offering is in good quantities and people cannot access, you have a bad business. So we are trying to bridge that gap between these players within the agribusiness space and consumers, potential customers.”
He explained that despite the existence of quality local agricultural products, many producers struggle to find retail outlets willing to stock them. “The big supermarkets are selling chicken from other countries, so they won’t even give them the chance to put their products on display,” he said.
Adding to the challenge is the perishable nature of many agricultural goods, which makes timing and speed to market critical. “It’s very important that in helping break the gap we recognise the attention to speed,” Attah-Mensah said. “Speed in processing, speed in getting to the market, speed in creating a larger base of consumers and also bringing attention to one place.”
The Agri-Fair is open to the general public, including individuals looking to buy at discounted prices, retailers interested in sourcing fresh produce, and entrepreneurs seeking to enter the agribusiness space.
“You can buy at better prices for your own consumption or buy to resell and establish another business,” he said. “Or you’re an off-taker who needs bulk. You come and establish a relationship.”
