tradicionalmenteinovador - Brazil Buyers & Sellers

million tons, valued at R$ 16 billion.
With regard to the informative field,
two years ago the program carried out a
diagnosis on the sector, with surveys including
the year 2007, but is supposed to
be updated in 2011 containing data up
to 2010, to serve as basis for actions and
support moves. Within this context, the
manager points out that petitions are to
be included in the 2012-2015 Pluriannual
Plan of the federal government, where the
predominant petition consists in the allocation
of resources for the cold chain, expanding
the refrigerated environments in
the sales areas so as to reduce losses and
supply high quality products. Support to
producer organizations sales options, like
“Producer Tents or Pavilions”, and transport
logistics, with appropriate vehicles.
>> EFFICIENCY “All ceasas should
be efficient centers for the consolidation
and distribution of products, as well as
sources of information, development, capacity
building, quality control, support
to family farmers, small retail outlets and
small food services, eliminating or reducing
the current distortions that benefit
the commercial growers, whilst promoting
fair and loyal competition.” This is the
idea expressed by Anita de Souza, Head of
the Horticulture Quality Control Center of
the Trade Centers Company and General
Warehouses of São Paulo (Ceagesp), the
biggest horticulture trading Center in the
Country.
Anita complements that the strengthening
of the small-scale producers depends
on the existence of a logistic delivery
Center, efficient consolidation and
distribution, with fair and transparent
trading rules, a decision making system
that lends support to the productive chain
and a quality control system that attests
to the safety and quality of the food. She
refers to the beginning of the revitalization
process under the coordination of
the Prohort and, with regard to Ceagesp,
she reveals that the company is making
a huge investment in the infrastructure
of the Ceasa in São Paulo, jointly with the
wholesalers at the Market Modernization
Fund.
As to her specific quality control area,
Anita recalls that work started in 1997,
when the São Paulo Program for the Improvement
of the Horticultural Trading
Patterns started operating, a program
that has been transformed into the Brazilian
Program on Horticulture Modernization.
She mentions standards developed
for grading fresh fruit and vegetables,
which are responsible for more than 80%
of the total, and capacity building oriented
works, as well as the development
of specific tools for every production and
sales agent.
Among other projects underway, she
underlines the Ceagesp Producer Tent,
which lends support to organized groups
focused on improving competitiveness
and building a brand; the Hortiescolha
Program, geared toward food services;
and Escola do Sabor (School of Taste),
which, through amusing and attractive
activities, introduces fruit and vegetables
in the school meals and brings children in
contact with agriculture.