Training – Fresh Studio

Training Course On Mango Quality Assurance In The Field And The Packing House

Posted on August 31, 2023August 31, 2023 by Ngô Khoa

On August 24th and 25th, 2023, the Green Innovation Centre (GIC) Viet Nam project, in collaboration with Fresh Studio Innovations Asia Co., Ltd., and Bureau Veritas Vietnam, organized a two-day training course in Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap Province, on mango quality assurance in both the field and the packing house.

The training was attended by 40 participants, including leaders of cooperatives and companies and officials from the Plant Production and Crop Protection Departments, Agriculture Extension Centers, and Agriculture Service Centers, from six provinces of An Giang, Can Tho, Dong Thap, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, and Soc Trang.

Consumer concerns about the quality, safety, and hygiene of agricultural products have made food quality a top priority in the food supply system. To maintain quality, a consistent quality assurance process is required, from the production stage in the field to the packing house, through a system of traceability and farmer management. This is especially relevant for fruits, such as mango, when cooperatives and companies want to enter the international market and gain more value in the domestic market.

The purpose of the training was to enhance the participants’ ability to manage the mango supply and operate the packing house to maintain high-quality mango for both domestic and international markets. The course covered standards from basic (food safety, VietGAP) to advanced (Global G.A.P, organic) for quality assurance in the fields and HACCP for quality assurance in the packing house.

The training was intensive, combining presentations, group discussions, and field trips to mango orchards and packhouses. After the trips, the participants presented their observations and suggestions to improve current practices for better compliance with the standards.

Minh, leader of Long Binh Agricultural Cooperative, shared, “The course brings valuable knowledge and broadens my horizon. Through group discussions and field trips, I can build more connections, learn from others’ experiences, and have a deeper understanding of VietGAP.“

The training is one of the activities of the Strengthening the Mango Value Chain in the Mekong Delta, a component under the GIC Viet Nam project that aims to enable stakeholders throughout the value chain to successfully implement identified innovations to enhance their business in terms of sustainability, climate change resilience, and profitability.

As part of this component, specific trainings were organized for key staff of cooperatives, companies, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and other actors in the mango value chain on key subjects, including production, harvesting, packing, post-harvest management, quality assurance, sales, marketing, and management.

The GIC Viet Nam project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Optimizing Mango fertilizer strategy from leaf and soil test result

Posted on June 12, 2023July 5, 2023 by Ngô Khoa

Imbalance nutrients during fertilization often leads to high incidence of disease during pre and post-harvest of mango production. Therefore, under the umbrella of the Green Innovation Centre for Agriculture and Food Sector (GIC), Fresh Studio has introduced soil and leaf test to help farmers understand more about their soil health and how the tree absorbs the nutrients. Understanding these features can help farmer step-by-step adjust their own fertilizer program.

On 7^th June, Fresh Studio gave a short training for farmers in the six project province emphasizing the importance of balance nutrition for good yield and optimize production cost. More than 170 farmers attended the workshop and to be counted more. Together with the training, a guideline about nutrient management also provided to the farmers. The highlight of the training was emphasizing on how importance is the soil pH as the first step the correct the fertilizer application. pH tester paper was introduced and provided to the farmers attended to the training to help them understand the current situation of their soil before any corrective step.

Reading nutrient deficiency symptoms and checking the leaves

In addition to the fertilizer management workshop, Fresh Studio also promoted the importance of proper pruning for a fruitful yield and reduce the production cost. Mango farmers now pruned after harvest, however, still many producers did not prune properly. Additionally, the planting density is dense which cause numerous production issues, including high risk of disease and high production cost. It is interesting that after the training, GAP Cu Lao Gieng Cooperative has informed Fresh Studio that farmers started to reduce the planting density and the local agricultural department want to promote this innovation to more farmers.

Giving hand saw as a gift to remind frequent pruning to improve performance.

Last but not least, to keep track of the farming activity and learn practical lessons, Fresh Studio also highlighted the importance of keep a farm record and warmed up the contest.

Fruitful Sharing At Mango Post-harvest management training

Posted on May 31, 2023May 31, 2023 by Ngô Khoa

As part of the Green Innovation Centers for Agriculture and Food Sector (GIC Vietnam) project, Mango Business School successfully held the Mango post-harvest management training on May 18-19, 2023. The training took place at the Southern Horticultural Research Institute (SOFRI) and featured teaching from Rene Oostewechel, an international consultant Postharvest Technology at Wageningen University & Research.

The workshop was a resounding success, with nearly 60 actors from local authorities, cooperatives, companies, and farmers registering to attend. The trainees, who were enthusiastic about the course, absorbed many useful lectures and interesting activities.

Post-harvest treatment is crucial to increase profitability for farmers and businesses

This training course was part of the Mango Business School of the GIC project component. The primary aim of the training was to teach methodologies for controlling post-harvest losses during the mango supply chain, from harvesting to export. The course covered 07 topics: post-harvest management of mango, optimal storage conditions, prevention of post-harvest diseases, group discussions on how to prevent post-harvest diseases, packaging of mango fruits, modified packaging of mango fruit, and field trip.

In addition to classroom lectures, the course included field trips to the Hoang Phat Fruit Co. Ltd. packhouse, where trainees were shown the standard process of de-sapping, hot water treatment, packing, and cold storage. The field trips gave trainees hands-on experience in the mango supply chain and allowed them to see the practical application of the theories they learned in class.

By the end of the training course, the trainees left with a wealth of knowledge on how to control post-harvest losses during the mango supply chain. Attendees were grateful for the opportunity to learn from an expert in postharvest technology and get hands-on experience in the field. It is hoped that the lessons learned in this course will be applied to the mango industry to reduce post-harvest losses and increase profitability for farmers and businesses.

Potential Application of Mango Processing Technology in the Mekong Delta-River Workshop at Tien Giang

Posted on February 28, 2023March 31, 2023 by Ngô Khoa

As part of the Green Innovation Centers for Agriculture and Food Sector (GIC) project, an informative workshop was held on February 24, 2023 in Tien Giang. The workshop focused on ‘The potential applications to process the mangos in the Mekong Delta’. The objective of the workshop was to bring together companies, farmers, and cooperatives to share, listen, and learn from each other’s experiences. The experts from Covestro, Sofri, and Phap Viet Food led the workshop.

First, Covestro introduced the Greenhouse Solar Dryer. Ms. Phuong Mai Pham, the Inclusive Business Development Manager, explained that this dryer has the potential to be applied in the Mekong Delta due to the region’s high rate of solar radiation in comparison to Central and North Vietnam. She highlighted the benefits of using this method instead of electricity-run equipment, which included cost savings, and increased visual and nutritional qualities.

Next, Dr. Phong from Sofri explained the method of applying Solar Drying House technology for vegetables and fresh and processed food. He also shared information about the typical characteristics of vegetables and how to effectively optimize the quality of the product. Finally, Mr. Thanh Khe Dao from Phap Viet Food demonstrated the applied technology and equipment for processing mango products, including dried, pureed, and beverages made from mango flesh and skin.

In the afternoon, the cooperatives presented their projects, followed by a Q&A session. Participants actively asked questions about the presented projects and topics. At the end of the day, participants were excited to see the model of the Greenhouse Solar Dryer, which made the applied solution more powerful and believable for their future projects.

The workshop was a success, thanks to the participant companies who helped the cooperatives and farmers during the workshop. Participants have time until the next workshop to discuss whether to invest in the applications or not. Upcoming workshops have been planned: reporting the results and transferring the technology in March, and training on how to do business, e-commerce, and connect to the market for processed mango products in June.

Launching of ‘My Mango Farm Diary’ contest and ‘Anthracnose control’ workshop

Posted on February 10, 2023March 31, 2023 by Ngô Khoa

My Mango Farm Diary contest

Farm diary has been receiving attention not only from buyers but also responsible consumers. It is the first priority to be issued production unit code (PUC), so that the products produced on the farm can be exported.

On 8th February, Fresh Studio kicked off the “My Mango Farm Diary” contest to encourage farmer to document their production process in 10 partnered cooperatives. The contest aimed to create a habit for farmers to write what agro-chemical products they used, which can increase transparency, reliability and confidence for the end-users.

*My Mango farm diary contest and anthracnose control workshop*

The contest received a warm welcome from cooperative leaders. They reckoned that writing farm production diary is the most challenging task; however, the GIC mango project motivates the growers through this contest and interesting rewards. At present, 242 farmers have signed up the contest. Tinh Thoi Cooperative (Dong Thap), Binh Hang Trung Cooperative (Dong Thap) and Cat Hoa Loc Hon Dat Cooperative (Kien Giang) are the top 3 having the highest number of participants.

Workshop – Anthracnose control

Besides the contest, how to use the agro-chemical products correctly and comply to the requirements of the market, Fresh Studio also collaborated with BASF – a German agro-chemical producer – to give a short talk on the control of anthracnose in the rainy season. BASF representatives also selected some farmers to make demonstration of their anthracnose control protocol so the farmers can see the efficacy by their own eyes.

Mango farming training related to the climate-smart agriculture in Dong Thap and An Giang

Posted on November 24, 2022November 24, 2022 by Ngô Khoa

From 8 to 11 November 2022 as part of the Mango Business School activities under the Green Innovation Centers for the agriculture and food sector (GIC) project: ‘Strengthening the Mango value chain in the Mekong River Delta’, project partners were trained in mango farming strategies related to efficient fertilizer application, pruning strategy, anthracnose control and irrigation strategy. The training was provided by experts from Can Tho University, Eurofins, Loc Troi and Fresh Studio.

All trainees were actively involved in the various training sessions

During the training, trainees learned how to prune branches to create canopy properly, the demand and calculation of soil nutrients, the reasons for soil and leaf tests, calculation the amount of water required for mango trees, determine the appropriate time to irrigate through smart devices, and identify, treat anthracnose. The highly participatory approach of the training resulted that all trainees were actively involved in the various training sessions.

The knowledge and methods trained during the classroom sessions were applied by the trainees during their assignments. They experienced what they learned on the day of practice in the demo farm. It was very exciting for them to practice measuring soil moisture through modern equipment such as tension meter, electric sensor and compared with manual method. They also practiced taking soil and leaf samples and performing pruning and anthracnose identification. Compared with the theoretical study in class, the practical day helps them understand the knowledge deeper and have the plan to apply these advanced techniques to their orchards in the near future.

About the project

GIC Vietnam is jointly implemented by Ministry of agriculture and rural development (MARD) and GIZ and funded by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The project aims to promote sustainable Mango Value Chain in six provinces of the Mekong River Delta (MRD): Dong Thap, An Giang, Kien Giang, Can Tho, Hau Giang and Soc Trang by fostering innovations on mango value chains.

This project aims to increase the productivity and income of small-scale farming households, create new jobs and improve resilience of the mango value chains through implementation of climate-intelligent innovations.

Fresh Academy Course for Rikolto in Vietnam: Capacity building for Inclusive Agricultural value Chains

Posted on November 5, 2019November 1, 2022 by Ngô Khoa

Hanoi November 12-14, Fresh Studio/Fresh Academy conducted a three-day Training of Trainers (TOT) on Inclusive business for agricultural value chains for Rikolto staff in Vietnam and their projects partners including farmer cooperative leaders and local authorities in Rikolto’s rice and vegetable value chain projects. A diverse group of 15 participants came from Ha Noi, Ha Nam, Vinh Phuc, Dong Thap and An Giang.

The TOT is tailored designed based on the client’s needs and combined of theoretical and practical modules to enrich participants’ knowledge and skills that can be applied directly to their current projects. In the theoretical part, participants were exposed to concepts of supply chain management, business model canvas, inclusive business assessments, inclusive model development, impact planning and partnership brokering. In addition, for practice, group field visits were organized to different retail channels such as wet markets and supermarkets. Participants were able to see how the 4Ps of products marketing in reality, where values were added, and gathered lesson learned for their own specific projects. Information gathered from these visits were reflected in group exercises in which participants applied various toolkits to identify action plans for improvement of their value chains.

Train-the-Trainer program in Dalat supports trainees in practical knowledge and training skills

Posted on December 21, 2015November 9, 2022 by Ngô Khoa

Dutch and Vietnamese research institutions and companies joined forces to establish Fresh Academy, a practical knowledge and training center for the horticultural sector in Dalat in Vietnam.

Last week, 28 trainees from across Vietnam received training in Dalat, Vietnams’ horticulture region. The training focussed on practical knowledge and training skills in the area of indoor growing. This so-called Train-the-Trainer (TtT) program will have a timeline of 1.5 year.

The agriculture sector in Vietnam including the horticulture shows a strong development and offers opportunities for Dutch businesses. One of the shortcomings in the sector development is the limited practical and applied knowledge. The Fresh Academy project, with a duration of 2 years, will contribute to the knowledge provisioning by building a foundation for a horticulture training centre for training and demonstration.

The Train-the-Trainer program is an essential element of the project. The program educates trainers who then instruct and familiarize horticulture entrepreneurs, company employees and trainees about sustainable and technical advanced horticulture. The Fresh Academy project elaborates on horticultural projects and experiences of Fresh Studio in Vietnam gained in the past 10 years.

A unique consortium consisting of HAS University of Applied Sciences (project leader) and Wageningen UR/PPO, Lentiz Course& Consult, Demokwekerij Westland, Kenlog b.v. and Fresh Studio has joined forces to establish the Fresh Academy. In addition, 4 Vietnamese (agriculture) universities are involved in the development of the Fresh Academy.

Besides Dalat, the Fresh Academy will be operating in the North (production area of Hanoi) and the South (close of HCMC) of Vietnam. Currently, the project partners Demokwekerij Westland and Kenlog b.v. collaborate intensively with local horticulture sector specialised in flowering plants in the Mekong province Dong Thap.

Read the article in Dutch here

Source: TuinbouwCommunicatie

Fresh Studio organizes fresh produce value chain study tour in Vietnam

Posted on December 20, 2015November 9, 2022 by Ngô Khoa

In early December 2015, Fresh Studio was contracted to organize “Vietnam Fresh Produce Value Chain” study tour. The delegation consisted of 17 participants from both public and private sectors in horticulture.

The key objective of the study tour was to provide the delegates with insights into value chain development for fresh produce for the domestic market. When working with perishable products, it is vital to understand how and where in the chain the ‘value added’ can be created. Other issues such as training farmers, quality assurance and marketing of value added products should also be taken into consideration during the value chain development process.

Therefore, Fresh Studio organized a travel workshop along horticulture value chains that were started in 2008 in Dalat and have over the years expanded to the Mekong Delta, and until now developed into a sustainable business supplying fresh produce for urban consumers in Vietnam. During the seven-day study tour, the delegation traveled to three main horticulture production areas in the south of Vietnam. The group was accompanied by agronomists, QA specialists, marketing consultants and the company’s directors who supported the delegates to achieve the study goal.

The delegates visited HCMC peri-urban farmer areas and the modern and traditional wholesale and retailers in HCMC.
In Dalat, the delegates visited various vegetable/fruit/flower farming systems (from low tech, mid-tech to high tech farms) and the Fresh Studio R&D farm. In addition, the study tour participants also went to several traditional and modern vegetable packinghouses.
In the Mekong delta, the tour participants visited the modern fruit and vegetable processing facility of The Fruit Republic (TFR) Company in Can Tho and a successful fruit export sourcing system in Vinh Long province.

After the study tour, the knowledge of vegetable production and supply chain of the delegates has been improved greatly, especially on the knowledge of Vietnam vegetable production that can be applied in other SEA countries. Apart from learning activities, the delegates also enjoyed Vietnamese food and culture.

Transferring knowledge and experience in supply chain management

Posted on July 1, 2015November 9, 2022 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”.

Category: Training