High-Value Commodities and Agroprocessing - International ...

6) All aspects of the quality assurance system were
documented and produced for discussion; and
7) Good distribution control was put in place to ensure that the
fortified food was not adulterated and that nutrient loss was
minimized.
PHASE I:
Pre-feasibility
stage
PHASE II:
Organization
of the Project
PHASE III:
Research and
Development
PHASE IV:
Technology
Transfer
PHASE V:
Commercial
Manufacture
Figure 2: The development of Tsabana
Summary of lessons learned from the case
studies
Each of the case studies described above presents several
lessons that can be applied to promote success in adding value
to and marketing horticultural crops in sub-Saharan Africa. The
following are a few examples:
The South African agro-industry is well developed and highly
successful. Among other factors, such as the availability of
technical expertise, the economic incentives available for
different categories of enterprise provide valuable financial and
institutional encouragement for investors.
Kenya has experienced remarkable success in exporting highvalue
fresh horticultural produce, with additional processing into
food products for export. This success has been underpinned
by considerable investment in post-harvest infrastructure and
improvements in quality assurance systems to meet market
demands. Consolidation of horticultural enterprises through
cooperatives and private-sector investment have enabled the
industry to meet the requirements for consistent supply of
high-volume and good-quality products, which otherwise was
impossible for individual small-scale farmers.
• Relief food distribution by donors stopped
• GOB to start manufacture of weaning foods
• USAID/WFP suggests locally pre-cooked foods
Organization of multidisciplinary task force
to oversee the development of ‘Tsabana’
• Product formulation
• Lab testing
• Field acceptability testing of prototypes
• Selection of ‘Tsabana’
• BOTEC-FTRS to work with Foods Bostwana to
monitor quality
• Foods Bostwana left to continue production
Although Tanzania is endowed with favorable agro-climate for
successful production of a wide range of horticultural produce,
the lack of proper transportation and storage structures has
resulted in high incidence of post-harvest losses and poor quality
produce. These factors have mitigated the efforts of farmers in
linking to the potentially lucrative domestic (mainly in Dar es
Salaam), regional, and international export markets. However,
when the farmers’ cooperative in Lushoto invested in collapsible
plastic crates and replaced the wooden or plastic containers that
were used for fruit, post-harvest handling and marketing losses
were reduced, which in turn improved their returns.
Through local research efforts, it has been demonstrated that
cassava is an excellent raw material for various industries,
including the manufacture of convenience food that can be
sold to the urban middle class in supermarkets and restaurants.
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