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3 Cases from Tanzania of two Karagwe businessmen, the director of a local vocational training institution, and Mr Hermann himself. Each board member had to contribute some starting capital for the new company. Matunda Mema invited 50 farmers from Ihanda and Nkwenda who were known to practise organic agriculture and to grow pineapples to enter into a business cooperation. The company offered to buy their pineapples at a premium price, on condition that the farmers would agree to produce their pineapples under contract conditions. The farmers would have to undergo a certification process (which the company would organize); they agreed to regular internal field visits and external inspections; and they agreed to sell their pineapples at pre-fixed prices to Matunda Mema. In 2002, an agreement between the 50 farmers and Matunda Mema was signed. The company decided to concentrate on dried fruits, and to start with pineapples. It bought a piece of land in Nkwenda, which is located about 30 km from Ihanda, constructed a building for the processing unit, and imported two solar driers from Germany. The company employed two field officers, a processing manager, an assistant and some temporary labourers. After 2–3 years, the farmers were experienced enough to continue on their own. CHEMA withdrew from active involvement in Ihanda and Nkwenda at the end of 2004, leaving coordination of the project with Matunda Mema and the Mavuno organization. CHEMA is now only consulted at times of special need, such as for conducting internal farm inspections. Certification Although the conversion to organic farming normally takes 5 years, the initial 50 farmers were able to deliver the first organic pineapples to the company after only two. This short conversion period was because of the farmers’ knowledge and practice in organic farming. During the conversion period, the company’s field officers advised the farmers on best practices. The internal inspections were conducted every 6 months by CHEMA staff. Each farmer had to attend follow-up training at least once a year on organic crop management, which CHEMA provided. The external inspections are conducted by staff from IMO (the certifying body) once a year. During these inspections, the certifying staff ask a series of questions about the field management and crop storage. The inspector also records any advice given to the farmer, and notes it in the farmer’s own records so the extension staff can follow it up. Most recommendations refer to pest management, soil fertility measures and crop management. The certification process covers the whole farm, not just the fields used to grow pineapples. That means farmers cannot use chemicals anywhere on their farms – but it also means that all their produce – not only pineapples – is certified as organic. Farmers are encouraged to leave buffer zones along the border of neighbouring farms so that pesticides drifting across the boundary do not contaminate the organic products. 80
harvesting and processing organic pineapples CHEMA: Organic farming in Karagwe District To ensure quality, the pineapples are harvested and sorted under the supervision of Matunda Mema’s processing manager. The farmers are paid directly for their crop. Farm after farm is visited, and the ripe pineapples are harvested and brought to the processing unit. At the factory, the top and bottom of the pineapples are cut off, the fruit is washed and weighed, then peeled, sliced and weighed again. The slices are then chopped into smaller pieces and dried. The final stage is packing, weighing and sealing. The dried pineapples are exported to Germany via nearby Uganda. The first processing unit with two solar driers was set up 2002 in Nkwenda. As the number of farmers delivering to the factory rose, it was necessary to increase the number of driers. As there was no electricity in Nkwenda, the company decided to shift the processing unit to Kihanga, on the main road from Karagwe to Uganda. In Kihanga it was possible to use electric driers which could be used during the rainy season when solar driers were less effective. The company has created jobs for 10 local people. 1 Collection 3 Drying Figure 19 Stages in processing pineapple 2 Slicing 4 Packaging 81
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