NAMPO Participants Estimate Deals of up to 29 Million USD

In providing feedback on their experience, the 52 delegates that participated in the 2011 NAMPO Harvest Day Agricultural show in May, estimate that a total of up to US$29 million in deals could be realized as a result of their participation. SATH coordinated regional participation from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique

Most of the deals involve irrigation equipment, inputs such as fertilizer, farming equipment (tractors), storage and grain handling equipment, farm fencing, implements, processing and animal feed manufacturing equipment.

Increasing trade capacity of regional value chains is often complemented by the ability of firms to effectively use trade shows to explore new markets as well as access information on markets, technologies and trends within an economic block or region. Partnering with local service providers in each of the countries, SATH provided training to participants prior to the show as well as continuous support during the show to ensure that they extract maximum benefit from their participation.

Bringing willing participants who are able to cost share and see benefits with meeting suppliers and see new opportunities helps in increasing trade between various actors in any regional value chain. SATH's strategy is to initiate enough interest to compel firms in the region to respond in a market driven way. The value of the NAMPO participation provided opportunities for participants to generate trade transactions at the trade show. It also provided greater exposures for participants to relevant business partners and enhanced the potential for future transactions.