COLEACP’s latest Business Management and Development training in the Caribbean will focus on “Market access: How to make an informed business decision regarding the market to target”. The four-week training is intended for managers/directors of companies or farmers’ organisations operating in the local informal market, or in an informal way, who want to expand their activities to more formal, high-end (international) markets. Professional associations providing advice on this to their members can also participate. The current group of participants are… +
The group training aimed to build the capacities of technical managers of fresh mango exporting companies on integrated management measures for fruit fly control. The participants were companies registered with Direction de la Protection des Végétaux, du Contrôle et de la Qualité (DPVCQ) and active in the country’s mango sector, specifically production managers and packing station managers.
The training course aimed to enable participants to implement integrated fruit fly management measures for production and export companies; recognise damaged fruit and… +
The group training aimed to build the capacities of technical managers of fresh mango exporting companies on integrated management measures for fruit fly control. The participants were companies registered with Cameroon’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) and active in the country’s mango sector, specifically production managers and packing station managers.
The training course aimed to enable participants to implement integrated fruit fly management measures for production and export companies; recognise damaged fruit and manage discarded fruit; have a… +
COLEACP is collaborating with the Dominican Agroenterprise Board (Junta Agroempresarial Dominicana, JAD) to present a webinar series on market access for processed products in the pineapple, mango and avocado sectors. The webinars are part of the CALIFRUP project, “Quality enhancement for the development of MSMEs in the processed fruit value chain”.
In February–March 2021, three webinars offered key ideas and tools to help Dominican entrepreneurs build their export projects. Each one was attended by an average of 30 active participants.… +
COLEACP, in partnership with Direction de la Protection des Végétaux, du Contrôle et de la Qualité (DPVCQ), is organising a discussion and exchange workshop on the 2021 mango campaign in Côte d’Ivoire on 30 March. The meeting is aimed at company managers and technical managers of DPVCQ, and covered the following points:
Part 1: Mango dossier Review of the 2020 campaign and the points for improvement identified during the internal audit carried out by the DPVCQ in relation to the… +
A Field Training Workshop for the Global Shea Alliance (GSA) aimed to develop participants’ capacity to transmit good practices in hygiene, traceability, crop protection and the safe use of pesticides to workers and/or small producers, as part of COLEACP’s Fit For Market programme. Held from 8 to 12 March, the workshop was designed for producers and extension staff (NGO Cord of GSA who had previously taken part in training on “Crop protection”, “Good hygiene practices and traceability principles”, and “Food… +
COLEACP, in partnership with DPVC and APROMA-B, is organising a discussion and exchange workshop on the 2021 mango campaign in Burkina Faso on 24 March. The meeting is aimed at company managers and technical managers of these companies, and covered the following points:
Part 1: Mango dossier Review of the 2020 campaign and the points for improvement identified during the internal audit carried out by the DPVC in relation to the mango dossier.
Review of some technical issues (certificates, lots,… +
This Thursday, the Federation for Agricultural Produce Exporters of Sierra Leone (FAPESL) has animated a workshop, organized with the support from the World Bank and COLEACP. The objective of this workshop was to introduce the FAPESL project for an Export Facility built according to International standards at Lungi Airport and to present in detail to public and private horticultural stakeholders. This project would boost exports of fresh and processed produce and allow exporters to be more competitive while respecting regulations… +
Face-to-face training on the safe use of pesticides and crop protection has just been launched in Nairobi as part of COLEACP’s NExT Kenya and Fit For Market programmes. The training, for technical and extension staff in charge of crop protection, aims to enable participants to recognise and identify pests and diseases; understand and select the most suitable crop protection methods, focusing on integrated pest management (IPM); understand the risks involved when using plant protection products such as chemicals and pesticides;… +
COLEACP collaboration with Zimbabwe Horticultural Development Council
A very productive dialogue between COLEACP and Zimbabwe’s Horticultural Development Council (CEO Mrs Linda Nielsen and Chairman Mr Stanley Heri) has led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and action plan. The agreement includes technical and capacity-building support through the Fit For Market programme to promote smallholder development through horticulture and outgrower schemes.
HDC Chairman Mr Stanley Heri of the Zimbabwe Export Produce Growers Association, a former Chairman of COLEACP (2004–10),… +
Global
Organic farming is still gaining ground
Global organic agriculture is progressing in small steps again in 2019, with a 1.6% increase in the global surface area – an additional 1.1 million hectares (ha) – to 72.3 million ha (including land under conversion), with Oceania in the lead, in fact Australia (nearly 50%), followed by Europe (23%) and Latin America (11%) (Commodafrica, 3 March). But compared to the world’s agricultural surface area, the result is still modest (1.5%). The countries… +
Global
New Director-General of World Trade Organization
Nigerian Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and the first African to lead the WTO, took office on 1 March (WTO News, 5 March). Among her first actions were meetings with the Group of Least Developed Countries as well as the Friends of the System, an alliance of small and mid-sized members from different regions and development levels that are committed to a well-functioning multilateral trading system. A top priority will be to… +
Kenyan mango stakeholders have agreed on September 2021 as the tentative month for resumption of exports to the EU after an 8-year break. The emergence of the fruit fly in Kenya led to numerous interceptions of mango consignments by the EU between 2010 and 2014. As a result, Kenya imposed a temporary self-export ban to protect the market and institute acceptable pest management measures. After the ban, the government, among other stakeholders, started pursuing measures to help in reducing the… +
PAFO (the Pan-African Farmers’ Organization) and COLEACP are collaborating on online trainings on ‘Crop protection and safe use of pesticides’, to be held over four weeks in April. The E-trainings are designed for farmers, technical staff, agronomists and extension workers (who must be PAFO members), who want to learn about the principles and skills relating to integrated crop protection and safe pesticide use.
There will be one two-hour webinar each week during April, with French and English versions running in… +
COLEACP’S INCUBATOR FOR FUTURE TECHNICAL MANAGERS IN HORTICULTURAL COMPANIES IN TOGO
In 2020, COLEACP started a new project in Togo – an incubator for horticultural technical managers. The project aims to help fill the gap in qualified technical staff on the Togolese job market (quality managers; packaging and production managers). This is achieved by training young graduates to enable them to become quickly operational for horticultural companies, through combining technical training and practical work experience in companies.
The project was… +
Two online R-SAT training sessions took place in February and early March, each for nine experts – in English for participants from the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe; and in French for experts from Cameroon, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Madagascar, Senegal and Togo. Experts’ feedback will inform the final version of the tool, and the training will be followed by the use of R-SAT in… +
For over 10 years, COLEACP has been part of a coalition of organisations, including Oxfam, the Fair Trade Advocacy Office and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM-EU), lobbying the EU to tackle unfair trading practices (UTPs) in agricultural supply chains. Smaller suppliers are particularly vulnerable to unfair practices such as last-minute cancellation of orders and late payments.
In April 2019 this lobbying activity finally bore fruit and the groundbreaking EU Directive 2019/633 on Unfair Trading Practices in Business… +
COLEACP and the Caribbean Agri-business Association (CABA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in support of the SMEs and businesses operating in the agri-food sector in the Caribbean.
The joint COLEACP-CABA action plan includes the following areas of cooperation, among others: Industry and market intelligence – information on international, regional and national policies and regulations impacting private sector operators, and joint information and communication products
Business support – technical assistance to business proposals to improve production, access markets,… +
Last week the COLEACP team had the pleasure to exchange with Mr Modou NS Njie, founder of the crowdfunding platform Money Farm.
Founded in 2018, the platform connects farmers seeking financing for the acquisition of equipment with private investors who wish to invest and participate in the development of the horticultural sector.
Money Farm operates on a profit-sharing model depending on the level of investment, providing well-managed potential agri-investment opportunities in Africa, for Africans in the diaspora and for investors… +
FRESH SALONE recently benefitted from COLEACP Fit For Market programme support to realize an assessment of the company’s food safety management system and training needs. The expert, Mr. Emmanuel Owusu, used the GLOBALG.A.P version 5.4 to audit the FSMS of the company and provided a corrective action plan including the measures to be implemented. The training needs assessment identified the topics mastered by the company’s technical managers and those on which the staff would benefit from training.
FRESH SALONE is… +
The 15th Session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-15) will be held on 16 and 18 March, and on 1 April 2021, in virtual format. The agenda includes standard-setting, capacity-building, communication, ePhyto, and the CPM recommendations.
These agenda items are of critical importance to the functioning of National Plant Protection Organisations (NPPOs), and COLEACP encourages the participation of ACP countries.
For contracting parties to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), registration is via the FAO Members Gateway. Those who… +
(Picture taken in 2019 before the Covid 19 pandemic.)
At the end of 2020, COLEACP worked with Flamingo Horticulture Kenya Ltd, a large grower with various production sites (vegetables and flowers). A training session and pre-audit followed on from COLEACP’s previous activities with Flamingo, and should pave the way for the company’s successful social audit of over 400 smallholder growers.
Throughout 2019, COLEACP supported the company with an assessment of GlobalG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practices (GRASP) compliance at outgrower… +
Ghana–UK trade agreement
Ghana and the United Kingdom signed a trade agreement worth $1.6 billion on 2 March (Gov.uk, 2 March; Africanews, 3 March), and the legislation came into force on 5 March. The renewed Continuity Agreement will allow duty-free, quota-free access for Ghana to the UK market, and preferential tariff reductions for UK exporters to the Ghanaian market. It means Ghanaian products such as bananas, tinned tuna and cocoa can be traded to Britain without tariffs. The UK Global… +
A workshop of the Association of Producers, Processors and Exporters of Vegetables and Fruits of Togo (APROTELF), with about 30 participants, was held on 15 March in Lomé.
This workshop, which was part of the revitalisation of APROTELF, aimed to learn about the needs and expectations of companies. Participants discussed the actions needed to support the association to offer appropriate and useful services to its members, while working effectively to promote and defend the interests of the fruit and vegetable… +