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Author: Ngô Khoa

PhD defense: Food safety concerns and shopping for daily vegetables in modernizing Vietnam

Posted on by Ngô Khoa
PhD candidateSCO (Sigrid) Wertheim-Heck 
PromoterProf.dr.ir. G (Gert) Spaargaren 
Co-promoter Dr.ir. SR (Sietze) Vellema 
Organisation 
Wageningen UR, Environmental Policy, Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS)
DateFriday 20 November 2015
Time13:30 to 15:00
VenueAuditorium, building number 362
Generaal Foulkesweg 1 362
6703 BG Wageningen
0317 – 483592

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Food safety concerns do not drive Vietnamese consumers towards supermarkets yet

Vietnam is one of the world’s largest growth economies. To meet the growing demand for fresh vegetables at declining farmland acreage cultivation methods have intensified with an increase in the often inappropriate application of agricultural inputs. Food safety scandals are widely covered by the public media and 95% of the consumers is heavily perturbed by the safety of the vegetables they consume on a daily basis.

To improve food safety and to restore trust among consumers, authorities in Vietnam stimulate the development of western style supermarkets while reducing traditional (street-) market vending. The government expects supermarkets, which maintain strict food safety management systems and food hygiene standards, to provide a suitable alternative for the less controlled and unhygienic street- and market vending. Policies are designed to influence behavior based on the idea that food safety concerns drive consumers away from traditional markets towards supermarkets. However, only 2% off the vegetables is being purchased in supermarkets. The research reveals how supermarkets do not necessarily fit in the routine organization of the every day lives of different groups of consumers. Some consumers, living in local communities with strong social cohesion, take their time and purchase their vegetables while ‘walking and talking’ in their ‘own’ market. Other, more time constrained consumers, prefer ‘shopping without stopping’, purchasing their vegetables seated on their motorbike while keeping the engine running.

The research shows in what way the different daily shopping practices prevalent in Vietnam are embedded within the wider range of every day life activities and social interdependencies, and how these have evolved over time. Vietnamese consumers appear creative and skilled in coping with food safety risks. They importantly rely on their own practical know-how in discerning safe vegetables, while attaching less importance to anonymous and objective assurance systems and certificates known from supermarkets and controlled chains. This study shows that western models are not readily applicable within the Asian context and thus warns against making the much needed food safety policies dependent on a single, ideal-typical (supermarket) model.

Fresh Academy: A practical knowledge and training institute

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

A practical knowledge and training institute to support the development of the agrifood sector in Vietnam.

Background

Horticulture in Vietnam has been growing fast in the past few decades. While rapid economic and population growth has imposed a high pressure on horticulture production, there is still a large potential for productivity improvement for the domestic market as well as exporting but at the same time the concerns on food safety (overuse and miss use of agrichemicals, health risks for workers and consumers) also demand for effective solutions.

Growing conditions in Vietnam show a wide variation due to different climatic zones and altitudes. For example, Dalat’s high altitude and temperate climate is suitable for greenhouse production of ‘European’ vegetables and flowers whereas in the Red river delta horticultural production is very seasonal due to a huge difference between the very cool winter and hot humid summer. Thus, the Vietnamese horticultural sector requires application of modern technology and knowledge with a dedicated regional scope.

The Vietnamese governmental institutes are not very strong on practical and applied knowledge, especially on protected agriculture sector because their main scope is academic research and education. However, there is an increasing awareness and willingness to promote applied science and technology in regular education and practical training.

The Netherlands is the world’s second largest exporter of food and agriculture products, thanks to its modern and innovative technology. A number of Dutch companies have actively participated in Vietnamese agrifood sector and some of them include knowledge transfer in their normal scope, but an integrated and coordinated approach is still missing.

Fresh Studio, since long time, has seen the need to structurally invest in applied knowledge development in the Vietnamese agrifood sector. Fresh Studio actually has taken the initiative in stimulating (more) knowledge-to-knowledge cooperation through R&D and consultancy, building knowledge and skills in vegetable, potato and fruit supply chains. A partnership in horticulture between the Netherlands and Vietnam was launched in March 2013 (HortiViN) to pave the way for long term collaboration between the governments, academic institutes and companies in order to support Vietnam to become a major player in horticulture and address the aforementioned challenges.

Approach

Taking into account all above issues, the partners in the project decided to establish the ‘Fresh Academy’, a practical knowledge and training institute that supports the development of the Vietnamese agrifood sector towards a sustainable, healthy and upgraded industry, through sharing knowledge and skills in the production-, postharvest- and distribution stages of the supply chain.

The Fresh Academy aims to cover all primary agricultural produce of the whole country on the long run. However, for this initial project, the priority is on vegetables and ornamental products that are grown under protected and controlled environments.

Paper: Historical transitions in food shopping Hanoi, Vietnam

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

This paper offers a historical analysis of contemporary practices of shopping for vegetables in the highly dynamic context of urban Hanoi during the period from 1975 to 2014. Focusing on everyday shopping practices from a food safety perspective, we assess the extent to which the policy-enforced process of supermarketization has proven to be an engine of change in daily vegetable purchasing while improving food safety.

In depicting transitions in shopping practices, we combine a social practices approach with historical analysis. Providing a historical analysis of a broad and complex spectrum of everyday practices of purchasing fresh vegetables, we identify the key drivers of change. We discuss different modalities of shopping and demonstrate that no single retail modernization format can be said to exist. Rather than contrasting an idealized supermarket model with the traditional modalities of food shopping, we offer a varied, more diverse set of shopping practices that displays different strategies for coping with food safety issues. When discussed from a historical perspective, food practices are shown to be highly dynamic, being constantly reinvented and reconfigured by consumers who use their established skills, routines, and social networks to sometimes resist top-down enforced supermarketization while developing the coping strategies that best suit their local circumstances.

Download the full publication here

Accelerating the development of the Vietnamese potato sector

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

The stereotype of Asian agriculture consists of endless rice fields. However, there is plenty of space for potato, both literally and figuratively speaking. The project “Growing out of poverty with potato” strives to support Vietnam in becoming more self-sufficient in the production of potatoes. The project covers the entire chain, from farmer to consumer.

Article by: Marc Meijer

“How many objectives could one project possibly target simultaneously? The revitalization of the modest Vietnamese potato industry through this project increases the living standards of farmers, expands the diet variations of the population, improve food safety, makes Vietnam become self sufficient with domestic potato supply and contributes to sustainable agricultural growth.” It completely addresses all different crucial aspects, and therefore is a solid and inspiring project. I believe in this project.” says Mrs. Sigrid Wertheim-Heck, the Director of Marketing and Business Development at Fresh Studio.

New varieties

The project encompasses three components. “On the production side, we’re introducing new varieties and sustainable cultivation techniques, targeting 2500 farmers. In addition, we support the farmers with trainings and the organization of their businesses. With simple farming machinery we try to improve the working conditions. This is necessary, since potato cultivation is a labor-intensive activity. It involves strenuous manual work. Most of the cultivation and harvesting is taken up by women.” On the demand side, the project focuses on raising awareness about the nutritional values of potatoes. Building on an extensive consumer research, this will be achieved by an extensive awareness campaign in early 2016. The third component consists of establishing the linkage between supply and demand. “We identify the proper traders and retailers in order to supply high quality potatoes in the best possible way to consumers.“

It completely addresses all different crucial aspects, and therefore is a solid and inspiring project. I believe in this project.

Mrs. Sigrid Wertheim-Heck

Taste lab

What distinguishes this project from similar projects is the significant focus on demand. In other words, as Mrs. Wertheim-Heck puts it: “We assess the agricultural performance of the new varieties as well as the market performance.” The latter happens in “taste labs”-locations where consumers (and farmers) can taste and judge new potatoes varieties. In this way, the market potential of certain varieties will be apparent in advance.

Combination

“Growing out of poverty with potato” is a public-private partnership between Fresh Studio, PepsiCo Vietnam, Agrico BV and Applied Plant Research WUR. This consortium combines local expertise with international cultivation advice, and introduces Dutch potato varieties with commercial potential for different purposes. The potato cultivation season in Vietnam fits in the rice-low season. This implies that farmers can generate an additional income in this period.

Big buyer

“The participation of PepsiCo Vietnam, a company with large purchasing power and interest in sourcing high quality product from sustainable producers, is important.” said Mrs. Wertheim-Heck. “It provides stability for the farmers. The support from the Dutch Government with FDOV (see box) enables us, the project partners, to execute a project that would otherwise not be feasible for a stand-alone private party. A sector in Vietnam that received less attention, is given a major upswing on all aspects.”

FDOV

With the “Facility for Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Food Security” (FDOV) the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands stimulates public-private partnerships in the field of food security and private sector development in emerging markets. RVO is responsible for the operational management of this facility. For more information visit: http://www.rvo.nl/subsidies-regelingen/programma-publieke-private-samenwerking/faciliteit-duurzaam-ondernemen-en-voedselzekerheid.

Read this article in Dutch @ RVO.nl

____________________________________________________

Source: RVO.nl

Publication date: 2015

First milestones achieved for the development of a modern greenhouse sector

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

With the completion of 6 modern greenhouses an important milestone is achieved as part of the Transition Facility project “Accelerating the development of a modern greenhouse vegetable production sector in Vietnam”. Sweet pepper and tomato crops are planted and the first harvest is expected in October. The greenhouses will be used to train >700 farmers in modern greenhouse vegetable production.

The completion of 6 modern greenhouses is the result of a lot of preparation and efforts of various project partners and the 6 selected pilot farmers. Although this is a real milestone, the project activities don’t stop here. The next phase of the project involves the actual production in the greenhouses and knowledge dissemination activities towards farmers. Regular updates regarding the crop status and production results will be provided in future project updates.

Access to finance

To enable the pilot farmers to make the investment in modern greenhouse vegetable production the Rabobank Foundation signed an agreement with Sacombank to provide the 6 pilot farmers with a loan to finance their investment in the modern greenhouse hardware and the initial operational costs. After obtaining approval from the State Bank of Vietnam the loans were disbursed to the pilot farmers in April 2015.

Greenhouses

At Fresh Studio’s R&D farm a multi-span greenhouse (CMF ESPACE 9.60 M) with automatic ventilation and screening (SVENSSON XLS 50 F HARMONY REVOLUX) is installed. At the other 5 pilot farms a multi-span greenhouse (CMF ESPACE 9.60 M) with fixed ventilation is installed.

Climate control and irrigation

A climate control and irrigation system (PRIVA NUTRIFIT and MAXIMIZER) is installed at the Fresh Studio’s R&D farm to operate the new greenhouse. This system will also be used to collect climate data for the project partners.

Substrate

Grow slabs (with a mix of cocopeat, peatmoss and perlite) from BVB-substrates are imported to be used as substrate by the pilot farmers.

Varieties

5 pilot farmers decided to grow tomatoes (beef, normal, cocktail and cherry) and 1 pilot farmer decided to grow sweet pepper (red and yellow). The varieties planted are from Rijk Zwaan.

Fertilizer

YARA Vietnam made arrangements to enable the pilot farmers to buy the Kristalon fertilizer range.

Training materials

The first version of Vietnamese sweet pepper and tomato training materials is completed. For NFT lettuce, training material is being developed. Farmer training activities will start in September 2015.

Knowledge development

As a spinoff of this project a proposal to develop a practical knowledge and training institute that supports the development of the Vietnamese agrifood sector towards a sustainable, healthy and upgraded industry, through sharing knowledge and skills in the production-, postharvest- and distribution stages of the supply chain was submitted by HAS Hogeschool and granted by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. The name of the project is Fresh Academy Vietnam.

This development is a result of the collaboration with project:

Accelerating a modern greenhouse vegetable production sector

Modern greenhouse vegetable production can provide an innovative solution to meet the fast growing demand for high quality, safe and sustainable produced vegetables, which are year round available …

Relocation of Fresh Studio’s head office in Hanoi, Vietnam

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

Fresh Studio is pleased to announce the relocation of its headquarters in Hanoi. The move to a new location is motivated by our expanding activities and increase of staff. The new office includes a state of the art facility for food products testing among end-consumers, the “Fresh Studio Taste Lab”.

Our new head office address:

2nd and 3rd floor

5B Lane 111, Xuan Dieu Street, Quang An Ward,

Tay Ho District, Hanoi

Vietnam

Download the location of our new head office in PDFDownload

The building is conveniently located and can be easily reached from different directions: Noi Bai airport, the Hanoi city centre and main urban residential districts of Hanoi. 

The new location, besides modern and spacious office facilities, provides also a professional taste lab equipped with state of the art kitchen technologies. The “Fresh Studio Taste Lab” offers the opportunity to conduct sensory tests with fresh and processed food products among producers, end-consumers and professional users.

With this new facility Fresh Studio offers now a unique R&D service that ranges from production at our R&D farms (2 for vegetables and 1 for aquaculture) up until product testing. Fresh Studio is the only consultancy firm in Vietnam capable of testing food products on both agronomical and market performance.

Please feel welcome to visit the new office. Contact Fresh Studio on +84 (0)4 37591380 for any queries.

Photos of our new head office

Convention: Business opportunities in the Vietnamese agricultural sector

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

Would you like to do business in Vietnam? Visit the RVO convention on 9 September and connect with Vietnamese buyers from the flower-, fruit and meat sector in the Hague, The Netherlands.

During the convention you will receive information about the opportunities in the Vietnamese market. The convention will finish with a speed date session and a networking reception. The main language during the convention will be English.

Visiting Vietnamese buyers

From 6 – 10 September a group of Vietnamese buyers of agricultural products will visit the Netherlands. They would like to get acquainted with the Dutch food production system and they are actively searching for potential business partners.

The delegation consists of participants from the flower-, fruit and meat sector. The purpose of their mission focuses especially on the quality and food safety of Dutch agricultural produce. During the convention you will have the opportunity to talk extensively with the Vietnamese delegation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports entrepreneurs with ambitions beyond borders. Together with the international-based entrepreneurs the Ministry aims to strengthen the Dutch trade- and investments position abroad. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) is responsible for the implementation.

RVO.nl organises this event together with the Dutch embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Focus on sectors

During the convention the focus will be on the following sectors:

  • Vegetables and fruit
  • Meat
  • Flowers, plants, bulbs and seeds

Vietnam

Vietnam is an upcoming market with a growing middle-class and spending pattern. There is a growing demand for higher quality food which is guaranteed safe and traceable. The Vietnamese consumer is ready to pay a higher price for this promise. The country is not yet in a position to produce their own safe food. They depend on countries where food safety is already guaranteed, such as the Netherlands.

Visit the RVO Dutch country page to learn more about Vietnam.

Program:

3 – 3.30 PM:

Welcome and registration

3.30 – 3.35 PM:

Opening word by mr. Arie Veldhuizen, Agricultural Councel Vietnam and Thailand, moderator

3.35 – 3.55 PM:

Introduction of the Vietnamese market with the focus on the agricultural sector by Ms. Sigrid Wertheim-Heck, Director Marketing and Business Development, Fresh Studio

3.55 – 4.10 PM:

Pitch about the Post-Harvest Network, Ms. Françoise van den Broek


4.10 – 4.25 PM:

Closing words by ms. Sara Knijff, Deputy Director European Agricultural policy and Food security (Europees Landbouwbeleid Voedselzekerheid)

4.25 – 5.30 PM:

Speed dating and network reception

Register:
You can register until 4 September at the latest for this convention. Register here

Location:
RVO (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland)
Prinses Beatrixlaan 2
2595 AL The Hague (Den Haag)

The Netherlands

Google Maps

Organising partners:
Dutch embassy Hanoi, Vietnam
Ministry of Foreign affairs
Ministry of Economic Affairs

Read more about the convention at RVO.nl (language: Dutch)

Sigrid Wertheim-Heck on ‘Pro-Poor Potato’ project in Vietnam

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

95% of Vietnam’s potatoes are grown in the Red River Delta, during the cool weather season when rice cannot be grown. Potato production is an excellent alternative to improve the local food security and increase the income of smallholder farmers. In the Central Highlands potatoes can be produced year-round. Therefore the Growing Out of Poverty with Potato project, managed by Fresh Studio, is located in exactly these areas.

In this FDOV-funded partnership Fresh Studio, PepsiCo, Agrico and Wageningen UR cooperate to establish more sustainable potato production systems in Vietnam. At the same time, the project aims to increase the consumer awareness about the nutritional value of potatoes. PPP Lab’s Marleen Brouwer interviewed Sigrid Wertheim-Heck (director Marketing and Business Development of Fresh Studio) about this inspiring partnership.

What are you currently working on in the project?

At this moment we are working on both the supply side as well as the demand side of potato sector development. On the supply side, the farmers are being introduced to new quality seed potatoes, combined with trainings on crop management and overall capacity development. We are also working on our hardware investment plan to introduce, among others, potato planting and harvesting machinery in the near future. Since most of the farmers in our project are women, we hope that the potato production work will become less labour-intensive and less time-consuming. Women have to combine household tasks with farming, and through machinery we aim to relieve some of the most arduous, physically strenuous farming tasks.

On the demand side, we are working on the adoption of new high quality Dutch potato varieties in the Vietnamese diet. The new high quality varieties aim to provide consumers with a better quality alternative to the current rather limited offer. However, varieties that might be a bit bigger, smoother or have a different colour are not automatically accepted. When we work with farmers we need to assist also the adoption of the distinct produce in the market. Since the demand for potatoes is higher than the supply, outcompeting other providers is not the case.

Lately we have done a baseline study, among 400 consumers in the north of Vietnam and 400 in the South, to learn more about today’s potato consumption and people’s knowledge about the nutritional value of potatoes. We repeated the study during the potato season to correct for potential seasonality bias. We see that consumers in the South have different preferences than in the North. In general potato is valued as a healthy product both in the South and in the North. Still there is an inherited association with potato as a “poor man’s food”. Our project tries to alter this perception by implementing awareness campaigns, both in urban and rural areas. We are even establishing taste labs, which is yet a quite unknown phenomenon in the agricultural sector of Vietnam.

What do you see as the biggest challenge within your project at this stage?

We have to work hard to make this PPP work and to implement all our planned activities, but actually we do not encounter any big issues. In my opinion, the project is doing really well. Important to add: we did not start from scratch when we received the subsidy. This is a major advantage. We are building upon potato research, which we previously conducted. Besides we already know the farmers, because our agronomy team works in the rural areas. Moreover, our relations with local governments and cooperatives are very good.

We have formally kicked off our activities in October 2014, and since then the implementation is progressing as expected. The farmers are enthusiastic about the project, and very willing to participate in the training and variety testing (which includes demonstration farms). Our aim is to include 70% female farmers, which seems feasible given the importance of women in potato production. This first season we have trained 500 farmers, the majority being women, of the totally targeted 2500 farmers.

In your opinion, what are the biggest pitfalls for PPPs in the FDOV subsidy framework?

Starting new projects in new project frameworks is always challenging. The start-up took a while, but it also aided a robust set-up and clear direction, which benefits the project in its operations and secures that ambitions can be met. Changes in personnel of RVO resulted in delays of communication and thus project progress, but currently this is running well. Another challenge is the physical distance between RVO in the Netherlands and the partnership in Vietnam. When developing projects over larger distances, it is sometimes hard to understand the specific local conditions. Lastly, the project has a duration of five years. Defining fixed outcomes, for example in terms of farmer income, might prove to have limited value over five years’ time. Many aspects may influence the outcomes, of which several might be external circumstances beyond control. We deem it important to keep a certain level of flexibility within projects to mitigate unforeseen circumstances, or be able to embrace unexpected beneficial conditions.

Are there subjects that you would like to discuss with other parties involved in PPPs?

All PPPs are run in another way, but I am curious to learn how other practitioners design and implement their projects. Cross-learning is crucial to make all PPPs better, and to improve the FDOV and FDW facilities for the sake of sustainable development. I would like to discuss with others how they do their research, how they train their farmers, but also how they manage their PPPs and how they do monitoring & evaluation. What works, what does not work, what can we do differently?

Is there anything that you would like to share with other PPP practitioners?

At Fresh Studio we have discovered that managing a FDOV PPP is a fulltime job. This is not just a project for on the side. It takes a lot of time and effort to do it right. Furthermore, PPPs have a proven value, but they are never a guarantee for success. It is always a means to get somewhere, and not a goal in itself. In our partnership we are committed to be innovative, and part of the innovation lies in interdisciplinary cooperation. It is important to keep on listening to each other, to truly learn from each other’s views and beliefs. We all come from different backgrounds; farmers, businessmen and researchers all have their own objectives. Therefore it is crucial to continuously manage expectations to make a PPP successful.

More information about the potato project can be found here.

Read the project profile including snapshot information about the partnership

____________________________________________________

Source: PPP Lab

Publication date: 2015

Developing the first safe, traceable and sustainable pork value chain of Vietnam

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

Vissan, De Heus and Fresh Studio have formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the first safe, traceable and sustainable pork value chain in Vietnam. The Ceremony was held on the 15th of August at the Vissan premises in HCMC.

The partnership between Vissan, De Heus and Fresh Studio has opened a united direction in the development strategy of the parties with the aim to bring to Vietnam safe and traceable pork products.

Accordingly, the parties will maximize their capability to establish a safe supply chain from farms, slaughterhouse to finished products and distributing to the market, in accordance with the TRACEPIG standards.

The “TRACEPIG” set of standards has been developed to guideline all parties involved in the production chain to follow a standardized procedure to obtain a high quality and safe pork. This is to answer growing concern of consumers about food safety, workers conditions, animal welfare and environmental protection.

All products will be labeled with traceable origin and do not contain chemical residues or pathogenic microorganisms that exceed the legal limits. Uniquely, all involved parties must also comply with the Animal Welfare module during the process of farming, transporting and slaughtering. In addition, TRACEPIG also integrate compliance with the Ethical Trading Initiative standard principles to ensure a fair working environment for all employees along the chain.

The following flow chart defines the roles of each party: 

Vissan is one of the leading enterprises in the food industry with specialization and business focus on production of chilled and frozen meat products, as well as processed foods from meat. With company strategic orientation is to approach the market through food quality and safety, Vissan has been implementing the closed process system in production, and continues to improve the efficiency and superior product quality. In addition, Vissan also actively cooperates with business partners and mobilizes the social resources to focus on the supply chain from production to processing as well as distribution.

DHFS – Safe Pork is a joint venture between De Heus LLC and Fresh Studio Innovations Asia to cooperate in creating the first safe and traceable value chain pork products in Vietnam. De Heus has over 100 years of experience worldwide in animal feed production and animal husbandry management. Meanwhile, Fresh Studio has possessed an insight and extensive experience in the fields of sourcing, market research and business development, and management and promotion of safe food products.

This signing event between Vissan and DHFS is the milestone for sustainable long-term cooperation between the three companies, in accordance with the Dutch – Vietnam subsidy cooperation program for farming, and it will contribute to the development of the food industry in particular and Vietnam agriculture in general.

Transferring knowledge and experience in supply chain management

Posted on by Ngô Khoa

What supply chain challenges do Southeast Asian Food Ingredient companies face? How to optimise your supply chain management to export successfully to the European market? During a Supply Chain Management workshop Fresh Studio shared knowledge, experience and criteria companies should focus on to improve their supply chain.

Following the successful training courses held in Vietnam in Hanoi and HCMC later last year, Fresh Studio was contracted by the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands to train Food Ingredients companies in Southeast Asia in Supply Chain Management (SCM). The SCM workshop, a highly practical and interactive training course, was designed to help Food Ingredients Companies to improve their supply chain in order to export successfully to the European market.

The first training was held at the Ministry of Trade in Jakarta, Indonesia in April 2015 with over 40 participants representing CBI companies and Indonesian ministries (Ministry of Trade and Ministry of Industry). The training did not only focus on principles of SCM but also gave the opportunity to analyse and evaluate the supply chain of participating companies. More importantly, concrete action plans were made. Success stories of for example The Fruit Republic, a company exporting Vietnamese fruits to European market, were used to demonstrate the possibility of EU market penetration for small and medium enterprises from Asia.

In June 2015, the second SCM training was conducted at Davao City Chamber of Commerce, the Philippines. Top managers of CBI companies in the Philippines attended the 2-day training workshop. Although business activities and product specialties differ between the Philippines and Indonesia, CBI companies from both countries share common limitations in supply chain management, covering from sourcing, quality assurance, certification and packaging to marketing. This second workshop also achieved the same level of success as the previous ones.

Comments of some participants about the workshop:
“Now I realise that our knowledge on SCM was so limited at the start of this workshop. We have a lot to do when I am back. I learned that all departments in the company need to better coordinate if we want to improve our supply chain and to expand our export to Europe”.

“My knowledge and experience in SCM has improved substantially after the 2-day training course. I will request a meeting with all departments in the company to analyse our SCM issues. For me, the ultimate goal is to make an action plan involving all important actors in the company’s supply chain and to make it a success story”.

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