Togo: E-agriculture for farmers

Highway Africa News Agency

A 'Center for Commercial and Agricultural Information' (PICA) for the collection and the publication of price lists via the internet has been launched in Togo to enable farmers and traders to interact over prices and availability of products.of the products by ICT

The center is equipped with computer and Internet facilities with a web page www.tradenet.biz with a strong integration of data and mobile technology.

The center will allow producers and tradesmen to consult in real time over price lists that are in conformity with the ECOWAS region.

Farmers will also consult over business opportunities in the area -the availability of products and stocks - in short farmers and traders will be able to conclude commercial transactions with partners from West Africa and other destinations.

The platform is also equipped with a system that makes it possible to send SMSees to producers, to salesmen and to purchasers.

The center will also equip farmers with packages to receive free information on mobile phones on the prices of 400 agricultural producers of the regional markets in West Africa, that is Benign, Burkina Faso, Cap Verde, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Togo.

Dété Yachina, the webmaster of the www.tradenet.biz explained that in fact , people will know at home or their fields how much a product costs and where to get it if not available in one's country.

"Via this facility, one will seek the market where one can find it and where one can better sell, by selling their products, one has enough money and that can contribute to the improvement of our living conditions" said Denis Mbadia chair regional Rooms of agriculture of Togo

"The project has placed at our disposal an electronic facility to break down information concerning the agricultural produce and to seek markets abroad, we received formations on the use of the machines and the setting on line of information", said Akouété Foly chair grouping of the market-gardeners farmers of south Togo.

Denis Mbadia said that the project will contribute to the promotion of the agricultural sector of Togo and will promote research of markets where to sell products.

"For having produced, it is necessary to sell and monetarized its production and the market should be sought", explained Mbadia.

This project is supported by the regional network of information systems of market and agricultural trade in West Africa (MISTOWA) www.mistowa.org and its aims are to increase regional agricultural trade and food security by improving and linking the existing regional efforts to generate, disseminate, and make commercial use of market information.

The center will also help the regional networks of Market Information Systems (MIS) and trade partners to address other constraints, so that strong and dynamic commodity chains emerge that will use the information to enhance production, handling, credit, and trade; and value added services such as post-harvest, processing, packaging, and quality control.