Organizers of the Kumasi Food Fair 2015 are hoping to whip up the development of the agricultural and tourism sectors with the annual hosting of the event.

The maiden Fair was held at the Kumasi Jubilee Park on Saturday and Sunday, offering a one-stop avenue for people to drink and eat from diverse dishes in Ghana and other countries.

The Fair was put together by I-Commerce Events, with support from Luv Fm and Nhyira Fm.

Chief Executive of I-Commerce, Kwasi Baffour Gyimah, describes the Fair as Kumasi’s biggest food bazaar which offers residents and visitors an avenue to have a taste of “authentic cuisine” in the Ashanti region whilst having good family time.

“We bring some of the companies that deal in agricultural produce as a way to project what they do and also let people understand that when it comes to farming, you can commercialize,” he noted. “In terms of tourism, it’s going to be a constant feature on the Kumasi calendar, so if you’re travelling to Kumasi sometime next year, expect to see the Kumasi Food Fair again”.

The two-day Fair showcased eateries, food vendors, restaurants, meat products and ice-cream joints as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage products.

“Culturally, we need to organize these kinds of events to preserve our traditional food for generations,” observed Appiah Augustine of Wilmar Africa, producers of Frytol cooking oil.

The Kumasi Food Fair was an avenue to sell, eat and buy anything food amidst fun-filled activities like cooking contest, live entertainment and product sampling.

Patrons and organizers have expressed satisfaction with the turnout; so were major sponsors who said they had an opportunity to present their brands to the masses.

“Looking at it as the first edition, attendance has not been bad; the patronage has also not been bad, a lot more people have also come to enquire to see how best they can explore the opportunities but I hope that subsequent editions will be great,” stated David Amemekalor, Norther Sector Manager of Kasapreko Company Limited.

Similar impression was shared by Isaac Akuoko, Assistant Event Representative of Onga: “When we heard Food Fair Kumasi, we decided to join the train to be here to make it a success; we’re impressed but there is room for improvement”.

Organizers have promised an improved Fair next year.