The Ministry of Agriculture, together with the World Food Programme (WFP), has organised a commodity trade fair as part of implementing the Purchase for Progress Initiative(P4P), which aims at enhancing market opportunities for smallholders farmers.

The objective of the commodity trade fair is to introduce local grain farmers to the appropriate buyers, and urge the buyers to establish contacts with these farmers. 

The role of P4P is to facilitate these contacts, in a way "vouching” for the capacity of these cooperatives to deliver the required quality and quantity as agreed between the parties.

Meanwhile WFP believes it is now time to connect the P4P- supported farmers’ cooperatives to the large "quality buyers” in the country.

The commodity fair will also include a session on "Agricultural Marketing Services” where other actors in the maize and beans value chains, namely post-harvest equipment manufacturers and suppliers, financial institutions, transport companies and market information providers, will be given  a platform to display their services.

The open forum will also allow leaders of cooperatives from across the country to exchange past experiences and lessons learnt amongst each other.

Purchase for Progress” is an initiative of the World Food Programme and was launched in 2008 in New York with the support of President Paul Kagame.

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