Africa makes its mark at BioFach

This year for the first time, the African continent as a whole was represented at a BioFach trade fair. In Hall 4, 75 producer groups from a dozen countries introduced themselves to the visitors who got a vivid impression of both cultural diversity and the organic products available for export. Even more was in store on Saturday – Grolink (Sweden) and Agro Eco (Netherlands) organised a series of events that attracted a good number of visitors. Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya are all countries experiencing strong growth in the organic sector.

Picture: attractive presentation at BioFach

Live music from the upper level of the central stand in the Africa Pavilion greeted the visitors who came to have a look at what the newcomers were offering. At the stand party on the hall evening too musicians created a congenial atmosphere that was enjoyed by about 100 visitors. All the stands were richly decorated with African cloth, the green-red-yellow logo of the Africa Pavilion, posters, product samples, flowers and works of art.

In the context of the BioFach Congress programme, there were seven lectures spread over a whole day that could be attended by anyone interested in the subject of Africa. These events enabled people to get to know details of agricultural production and marketing in the particular countries. And the podium was occupied by some top-level people from ministries, UNO organisations, organic agriculture associations in Africa and the managers of agricultural companies.

Uganda is so far the only country in Africa to make organic production a target for support in its agricultural policy. Okasai Opolot (picture), from the Ugandan Ministry for Agriculture, was clearly on the side of organic agriculture. He said, however, that it should be left to individual farmers to decide on the methods they used. A scientific centre for organic agriculture was being planned. The minister was convinced that the worldwide organic markets would bring clear benefits to Africa.

Patricia Francis represented the International Trade Center (ITC) in Switzerland. She welcomed the Africa Pavilion at BioFach: “For some exhibitors it’s the final mile to reach consumers; for others it’s the first mile.” She critized the British Soil Association’s demand that air freight for transporting organic products to Europe should be reduced.

Samuel Adimado from the agricultural association GOAN in Ghana reported on the cultivation of pineapples on 1200 ha and mangoes on 2200 ha in his country. Citrus fruits are grown on 3760 ha, cacao on 400 ha and oil palms on 14,500 ha. He explained that the development of organic agriculture was a problem because of the lack of infrastructure (roads and electricity), difficult marketing conditions and the competition of big companies. (Picture: Bernward Geier/Colabora and Emilia Mooney from the Ministry of Agriculture/Ghana).

Georgina Koomson (picture) from Ideal Providence Farm in Ghana convinced the visitors to the Africa symposium with facts: she presented her shea butter project, which employs 400 women to collect shea nuts and thus to earn a living. 95 % of women in the region are illiterate. Through the shea butter project incomes had doubled. In the last two years, the women had harvested 140 t of shea nuts and produced 40 t of butter that they themselves had marketed. They also produced soaps, natural colorants, exotic oils, insect repellents and herbs for, for example, dental care.

Tanzania is also in the process of integrating organic agriculture into agricultural policy. Asad Naqvi from the UN environmental programme UNEP reported that in 2007, working together with Kenya and Uganda, they had devised and passed guidelines for the five countries of the region in East Africa. He regarded this collaboration as a model for the whole of Africa. The products most in demand from Tanzania are spices, lemons, vanilla, coffee, cashew nuts, cacao, herbal tea, cotton and fruit. (left picture: start up company KAITE from Zimbabwe sells dried herbs and essential oils.)

Raymond Auerbach reported that there were 250-300 certified organic farms in South Africa. However, the figure rose to over 500 if you counted the individual farms that had joined up with other farms to form groups. Most were still family farms run by Europeans, but more and more farms run by Africans were becoming organic since conversion was subsidised by the State. According to Mr Klokow, there were seven organic certification organisations in South Africa.

Munshimbe Chitalu (picture) from Zambia reported on the progress being made in his country that lies in the southern part of the continent. Honey, sunflowers, groundnuts, vegetables and oils in organic quality are produced by 20,000 small farmers who belong to 19 organisations. In Ethiopia, 105,000 small farmers use organic production methods on
141,000 ha of controlled organic land, and they produce more than 41,000 t of organic produce. The main products are coffee, sesame, honey and bees’ wax, herbal tea and vegetables. Ferede Addisu Alemayehe from the Ethiopian Association of Organic Agriculture (EAOA) reported that processed products were produced for the domestic market.

The amount of organic olive oil exported from Tunisia in 2007 was 6000 t compared with 368 t in 2001. In the same period, the export of organic dates rose from 739 t to 3000 t. The subjects of other interesting reports were projects in Burkina Faso, Senegal, Cameroon and Sierra Leone.

Alastair Taylor from Agro Eco (Uganda) reported on the Epopa Project that was begun in 1994 and has now come to an end. Up to 60,000 farmers took part in the project that was supported by the Swedish Ministry for Development Aid (SIDA) and implemented by Agro Eco and Grolink. Bo van Elzakker and Gunnar Rundgren were the directors of the Epopa Project. (left picture: dried organic mangos from Burkina Faso produced by Cercle des secheurs, GIE-CDS)

To simplify the forward financing of harvests, the Dutch Triodos Bank announced at BioFach 2008 that it was creating a new fund. The “Triodos Sustainable Trade Fund” is going to make finance available to certified producers of organic and fair trade products in developing countries and in emerging markets, so that suppliers will find it easier to take advantage of export markets. The Tridos Sustainable Trade Fund for the forward financing of harvests is starting with 10 million Euros. More than 20 organisations and cooperatives in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe will receive financial support.

The man behind the African presence at BioFach, Gunnar Rundgren from Grolink (picture at the right side), is very pleased with the results, and he summed up as follows: “The African Pavilion was initiated to give Africa a stronger image and position as an organic supplier. Obviously it also served to assist companies in their sales, as well as introducing many not-yet-ready exporters to a better understanding of the global markets. Further, it also influences the general development of agricultural policy in Africa when news comes back to the countries about the successful presentation of Africa at BioFach. The symposium was intended to inform people about the positive impact, organic has on poverty alleviation and development in Africa. In the evaluation meeting the day after the event, all the participants agreed that the event had been a smashing success, and they are all committed to repeat it in the coming years.”

(Picture: Tetra Fruits with organic spices from Madagascar)

Tips:

All participants of the Africa Pavillon at BioFach 2008 can be found here:

http://www.organicafrica2008.com/exporters.htm

More information is available in a 105-page study by UNEP-UNCTAD entitled “Best Practices for Organic Policy – What developing country governments can do to promote the organic agriculture sector” (download here) 

Another title by UNEP-UNCTAD that will appear shortly is: “Organic Agriculture and Food Security in East Africa”.

A 13-page brochure produced by UNCTAD appeared recently: “Certified organic export production – implications for economic welfare and gender equality among smallholder farmers in tropical Africa”.