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The National Coordinator for Youth in Agriculture Programme, Alhaji Mahama Adam has called on Ghanaians and stakeholders in the Agricultural sector to build, develop and implement an effective value chain process to achieve quality end-results in all business dealings. He made this known during the 1st Stakeholders Forum organized by the National Food and Agricultural Show (FAGRO) secretariat, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the 2011 Planning Committee as part of preparations towards the 3rd National Food and Agricultural Show. Stakeholders in the Agricultural sector participated to review FAGRO 2010, interact and share ideas for FAGRO 2011, which will be held from 7-16th October, 2011 at the Efua Sunderland Children�s Park. The Youth In Agric Coordinator said, he is excited about this year�s theme, �Beginning with the End in Mind�, which focuses not only on Agriculture but in our daily business activities. According to Alhaji Mahama Adam, Ghanaian businesses in general are noted for a system of operation whereby, instead of outsourcing other areas of production to experts to enhance speed and quality, they end-up doing everything in-house to save cost, contrary to how the value chain system works. The Coordinator entreated stakeholders to help build further capacities of actors in the value chain process �otherwise we end up losing more trying to save cost��. The Forum also addressed some recent media related issues, such as FAGRO�s finances and the status of the Advisory Board for 2010. In his address, Sulley Adam, Executive Head of Retail Banking of the Agricultural Development Bank and the 2011 Planning Committee Chairman, said as a human institution, issues such as indebtedness is expected but it is how it is managed that counts. �I accepted the Chairmanship for 2011 knowing the challenges at hand but looking back at the successes FAGRO chalked last year, I am positive and confident, that the road will be smooth for FAGRO in the future. FAGRO is a young baby we are nurturing to remain Ghana�s agricultural marketing platform, just like many countries have and I personally pledge my commitment to contribute and support FAGRO." Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, Exhibition Director of FAGRO also expressed her excitement about the role the past Advisory Board played in the whole success of FAGRO 2010, despite the challenges. The only difference between the 2010 Advisory Board and the 2011 Planning Committee is to have a team who will travel with the secretariat throughout the regions to create critical awareness on Agric Commodity Value Chain (ACVC), especially to peasant farmers, who are the core target for this year. �We anticipate a lot of foreign investors participating in FAGRO 2011 and some of them have already expressed interest to meet with farmers growing different products and possibly visit their farms. We want these farmers to be fully represented at the FAGRO grounds to see new things, learn new things and adopt new ways of doing things. We do not always have to go to their farming areas; bringing them to Accra and linking their small business to big businesses can see an instant turnaround in their productivity and that is what FAGRO strives to do and will do.� She commended some of the past Advisory Board members like Prof. Sammy Sackey, Farmer Brown, Mr. Boakye and Mr. Fred Sagoe who are still giving external advise and counsel to the Secretariat after their one-year term automatically came to an end when FAGRO 2010 ended . On her part, the President of the Rural Women�s Development Association and Development Action Association, Madam Lydia Sasu expressed her appreciation for the role FAGRO played in holding seminars on key issues like Food Processing and Preservation Methods, Food Nutrition for the Aged and Personal Hygiene, Marketing Challenges to Agribusiness in Ghana, Successful Women in Agribusiness, Food Safety, Standards and Traceability among others. This year�s FAGRO will also see a gathering of Youth in Agriculture from different communities. The idea is to inspire and attract more youth to go into agriculture, without seeing it as a secondary option. The Forum attracted over a hundred (100) stakeholders from different institutions and organizations, including World Food Program, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Social Investment Fund, Peasant Farmers� Association, Agriseed Limited, CSIR, Ghana National Association of Farmers� and Fishermen, USAID � Advance / ACDI VOCA, Women in Agricultural Development, Ghana Feed Millers� Association, VCT Fund, Dynapharm International, Apex Bank, USAID ATP and E-ATP and the Burkina Faso Embassy