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. It will enable farmers and traders to more easily interact over prices and the availability of products.
The center is equipped with computer and Internet facilities. The information is featured on a web page with a strong integration of data and mobile technology. The center will allow producers and trader to consult in real time over prices in the ECOWAS region.
Farmers will also consult over business opportunities in the area -the availability of products and stocks, making it easier to conclude commercial transactions with partners from West Africa and beyond. The platform is also equipped with a system that makes it possible to send SMS messages.
The center will also equip farmers with packages to receive free information on mobile phones on the prices of 400 agricultural commodities in the West African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cap Verde, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Togo.
Dété Yachina, the webmaster of www.tradenet.biz explained that in people will know at home or in their fields how much a product costs and where to get it if not available in one's country.
The project is supported by the regional network of information systems of market and agricultural trade in West Africa (MISTOWA). 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.allafrica.com
