For AFEX Nigeria, an innovative commodities exchange connecting smallholder farmers to large scale buyers, we were contracted to develop commodities export with an initial focus on ginger and cocoa.
Based on a thorough due diligence to assess credibility, we generated recommendations to adjust the domestic trading template to export and facilitated market introductions to cocoa and spices buyers.
This value chain analysis was commissioned by CBI (Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries) in order to identify the most promising product market combinations for processed fruit from Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali.
Mango has been identified as the most promising product market combination.
Compared to other African mango origins, the focus countries have the following strengths, which can be leveraged to maintain and expand market position. This comparison provides a starting point for a regionally coordinated diversification and strengthening of the chain.
In order to increase the positive impact of the sector, key factors need to be considered for supporting companies and their enabling environment, which is true for all three countries: diversification, professionalisation, market growth and coordination.
Thirty Six Foods has partnered with the Able Women Multipurpose Cooperative in Cross-River State and Rokbar to bring high quality and sustainable chocolate to market both in Nigeria and The Netherlands. The partners are creating a chocolate bar fully made by women and produced in Nigeria. The partnership aims to empower female cocoa farmers through access to specialty cocoa markets.
As part of the project partnership, Agri-Logic conducted a baseline measurement on farmer livelihoods and provided training on cocoa quality to the farmer’s cooperative. Agri-Logic also took on project management and reporting to partners.
The Able Women are now formally registered, trained and have a solar dryer in place. A commercial agreement between the cooperative and the chocolate company will ensure buying of cocoa going forward.
TWIN in partnership with Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA) implemented a two year project to strengthen export capabilities of twenty coffee cooperatives in Rwanda and Burundi with a specific focus on supporting cooperatives in: attaining certification, increasing access to Specialty Coffee markets, improving quality of the coffee produced and developing a traceability programme for coffee grown by women.
This export capabilities study identifies actors, value addition, financial analysis, market demands and the enabling environment. We have assessed the export capability of each of twenty coffee cooperatives on a range of indicators, leading to a segmentation. Furthermore, we identified general trends in export opportunities and challenges for both origins.
Even though Burundi has very high quality coffee according to buyers, there are still a lot of basics that need to be covered to be able to market the coffee successfully. Major challenges still exist in logistics, speed, traceability, reliability of pre-shipment samples, communication and marketing.
Rwanda is seen as well-organised and it is a coffee of good quality, there are certain constraints put forward by the buyers with regards to the marketing of the coffee. Flavour is not as unique and other differentiation is needed to compete in the specialty segment. Cooperatives are not always able to provide reliable pre-shipment samples and have limited knowledge of the market and pricing.
