Madagascar Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Value - Microlinks

Research institutions and laboratories: Research and laboratory institutions conduct product phytochemical
research, evaluation of medicinal properties, and testing and analysis required for export and third-party audit and
verification. Three different types of institutions are conspicuous, based upon the type of support they provide:
• Agronomy research: Centre National de la Recherche Applique au Développement Rurale (FOFIFA), Ecole
Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques (ESSA)
• Environmental research: Centre National de Recherches sur l'Environnement (CNRE)
• Pharmaceutical and medicinal research: Centre National d'Application des Recherches Pharmaceutiques
(CNARP), IMRA, HOMEOPHAMA
Other laboratories, which receive funding and equipment from projects such as the International Cooperative
Biodiversity Group (ICBG)/Centre ValBio, 23 focus on safeguarding and ensuring the sustainability of Madagascar’s
medicinal plants. The laboratories offer third-party evaluation, they are used by the private sector, fees are reasonable
and services are reliable.
Organic certification: Internationally recognized EcoCert is an audit and certification body. However, it is also an
important vehicle for disseminating information on regulations of importing countries and on technical information
for meet organic standards, phyto-sanitary and safety updates, and advice on labeling products to facilitate entry into
different markets.
Business development services (BDS): There is absence of private-sector training and consulting firms specializing
in the AMP sector (e.g., negotiations, business planning, technical training in GAP and distillation techniques, good
collection practices and quality control). This absence is particularly acute in the producing/collecting/processing
zones, which are the areas that require the most upgrading. Through its Business Centers Ivoharena (BCI), BAMEX is
filling a void by assisting AMP distributors to identify export markets and has sponsored research into technical and
policy aspects of AMP.
E. RELATIONSHIPS AND LINKAGES ACROSS ACTORS
This section presents factors that establish, maintain or strain relationships among actors—MSEs and larger firms—in
the AMP value chain, and linkages that appear to regulate transactions and allow or prevent skill transfer across layers
of actors. Competitive value chains are generally characterized by cooperation among actors and firms related both
vertically and horizontally.
1. VERTICAL
Actors closest to the end market (wholesalers, retailers and exporters) are generally engaged fulltime in the AMP trade.
As one moves upstream, progressively away from the consumer and closer to the natural product base (wildcrafters,
cultivators), actors become increasingly marginalized, part-time players. There is an absence of trained and
experienced professionals up and down the chain and little sharing of market and technical information.
Class suspicion, lack of confidence and bad past experiences color relationships among actors in the AMP value chain.
The greater the physical distance between actors and the more difficult to navigate the transport and communication
infrastructure that separates them, the lower are the chances that relations overcome distrust.
23 Centre ValBio [Valorisation de Biodiversité]: International Training Center for the Study of Biodiversity, near Ranomafana
National Park
MADAGASCAR AROMATIC AND MEDICINAL PLANT VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS 37