Agrihouse Foundation handed franchise for Brazil’s International Cassava Fair

The leading organisation that manages Brazil's largest International Cassava Fair (FIMAN), Podium Alimentos, has announced a five-year partnership with Ghana’s Agrihouse Foundation.

The foundation has been handed the official franchise holders for the promotion, facilitation and marketing of the annual fair in Brazil.

Under the partnership, Agrihouse Foundation will work with Podium Alimentos to strengthen and enhance the prominence and impact of the fair initiative in Ghana, with a primary focus on contributing to improving the cassava value chain sector.

The fair is scheduled to take place from Tuesday, November 21 to Thursday, November 23, 2023, in Paranavaí, Brazil.

As part of its mandate under the partnership, Agrihouse Foundation is mobilising farmers, processors, input dealers, farmer-based organisations (FBOs), aggregators, processors, value chain actors, individuals and businesses across the agriculture value chain to serve as exhibitors, participants, and engage in business matchmaking sessions at the fair. 

Partnership

A partnership letter issued by the Owner of Podium Alimentos and creator of the FIMAN, Mauricio Gehlen, expressed excitement for the partnership with Agrihouse Foundation.

He emphasised that the partnership with the foundation as the official franchise holder for the fair in Ghana, for the next five years, would undoubtedly elevate and significantly enhance the programme's growth and increase participation in Ghana and Africa.

Mr Gehlen added that the Agrihouse Foundation had a commendable track record of consistently demonstrating unwavering dedication to sustainable agriculture and a proven history of promoting the agriculture industry in Ghana and beyond.

Potentials of cassava

On the potential of cassava, Mr Gehlen added that cassava contributed significantly to the nutrition and livelihood of up to 500 million people globally.

He said that besides serving as a primary staple food for millions of people, cassava was also an important raw material used for pharmaceutical and industrial purposes.

“Commodifying cassava presents Africa and the global community with an opportunity to reduce dependence on imports, enhance food security, and support economic growth.

“Despite its immense potential, cassava has often been to a high level, overlooked as a crop suitable for commercial production and commodification.

“However, as global food demand continues to rise, the potential for cassava to contribute to agricultural growth in Africa and around the world is becoming increasingly apparent,” Mr Gehlen said.

Mr Gehlen emphasised that the partnership would also facilitate the dissemination of global cassava research findings, innovations and best practices to the Ghanaian cassava industry, fostering growth and sustainability.

The collaboration, he said, signified, “a great milestone in our efforts to foster greater international cooperation and knowledge exchange in the cassava industry”.

Readiness of Agrihouse

Speaking on the partnership, the Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, expressed profound gratitude for the partnership and said, "We are very excited and grateful to Podium Alimentos for giving us this amazing opportunity to do what we do best – Making an impact in the agribusiness sector.

“As the official franchise holder in Ghana, we look forward to working diligently and transparently with Podium Alimentos to ensure the continued success of FIMAN, and to advance sustainable agriculture while strengthening the cassava industry,” Ms Akosa stated.

She said it was imperative that “we transform cassava into a standardised commodity that can be traded and exported on a large scale to boost national revenues, much like how we prioritise commodities such as gold, crude oil and cocoa".