ICTs help to boost Mali’s mango exports

The information provided by the web platform is in line with the GlobalGap Certification standards; an internationally renowned quality standard for fruit producers. This will help to open up new markets to the fruit producers of Fruiléma.

Most people in Mali derive their income from agriculture; from growing fruit, wheat, corn or by raising cattle. However, only a small percentage of the produce is exported. The government has therefore started to take a keen interest in the further development of the agricultural food industry and does all it can to stimulate the growth of this sector. The measures that the government has taken are backed up by the support of foreign donors. For example, the Dutch Embassy is (co)-financing a large Centre de Conditionnement near Bamako airport which will become operational in 2008.

The growing potential of Mali’s fruit industry

One of the fastest growing industries is the fruit industry, although it is still relatively small compared to rice and corn. Most of the fruit is exported to neighbouring countries like Ghana, Ivory Coast and Senegal which produce fewer mangos and have slightly different harvesting periods. Potential buyers in other regions, such as Europe, also seem to have an interest, especially in mangos, but so far Malian producers have failed to enter the European market. This is a great loss to them as exports to Europe could be highly lucrative. There is a growing demand for fresh mangos and for products derived from mangos such as dried mangos, mango pulp etc.  One of the bottlenecks for mango producers and exporters is that fruits for countries in the North need to meet very stringent criteria with regard to the origin of the product, the way it was grown, if and what fertilisers and pesticides were used, and how it was packed. Up until now it has been impossible for Malian producers to collect and process this data as there is no information infrastructure or system in place to compile, register and make this information accessible. But things are about to change.

Fruiléma

Fruiléma, a business venture consisting of 5 mango producers, recently launched a web platform with help from the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) - an international NGO based in the Netherlands and Manobi - a private sector company based in Senegal. The platform enables potential buyers to follow the whole production chain, right from where and how the mango was grown to as far as the company that is offering them for sale. Thanks to this platform, the fruits sold by Fruiléma can be compared with the quality criteria defined by GlobalGap (formerly known as EurepGap); a European certificate that guarantees insights into the origin of the product, the way it was grown, the circumstances under which it was grown, the way it was treated (fertilizers, pesticides), and how it was packaged, etc. The platform will help Fruiléma enter new markets and should attract new importers for their produce.

A joint initiative

The platform is a joint undertaking between Fruiléma, the fruit producers, Manobi - a Senegalese company for mobile technologies, and IICD. It all started with an assessment analysis of Fruiléma’s information and communication needs in December 2006. The export company had just been certified by EurepGap, but one of the major issues raised by EurepGap was a solution to trace back the mango production from mango producers to the end-consumers. It was then decided that a tripartite partnership should be set up between Fruiléma, IICD and Manobi to develop a web-based platform. Each partner had clearly defined roles: Manobi was held responsible for the technical development of the platform, the hosting of the platform and the training for end-users on how to use the platform. IICD provided general guidance and ICT-training. Fruiléma itself filled in the database by adding content about the mangos they produced. The development started in October 2007 and within only two months the first operational platform had been launched.

The implementation process went smoothly, although Manobi had to overcome some challenges. The main challenge was to understand the specific requirements of the farmers, the middlemen and the exporters of Fruiléma and to translate this into an easy-to-use solution. Many of these people have limited knowledge of ICT and Manobi had to provide them with a solution that was not only simple and easy-to-use but, at the same time, one that was capable of tracing the entire production chain.

The keys to success

According to IICD’s Country Programme Manager for Mali, François Laureys, the partnership gained momentum once a basis for trust was established:

“One important moment in the partnership was when Manobi’s people came to Mali to learn about the specific context and requirements of the mango exporters involved. This mission helped all parties to better understand each other’s capacities and limitations. I personally was impressed by the expertise Manobi brought in – they combine a good understanding of the sector, the specific export chain and the West-African context with technological know-how. That combination is very rare in the IT industry.”

Boukary Ba, the coordinator of Fruilema, is very enthusiastic about the prospects of the new platform:

“At first, we were just looking for a tool that could help us simplify the certification trajectory – which is long and expensive. But in the discussions with Manobi and IICD, we discovered that we could combine this demand with our need to find new markets in Europe. I feel we now that have a very powerful tool which can meet both needs at the same time.”

A responsible relationship

This was not the first time that Manobi had developed a platform for fruit producers. In fact, the Fruiléma platform is based on Manobi’s Fresh Food Trace platform which they deployed in Senegal to ensure fresh bean traceability. Only recently, they have used the same platform to trace a gum growers’ inventory along the commercial chain. There are some differences though, as Danielle Annerose, CEO of Manobi, was quick to point out:

“It's the first time that exporters and farmers from developing countries surpass the requirements of the European market with regard to information about, and safety requirements for, fresh produce. With this platform it's not only the Malian fruit producers who need to comply strictly with the EU requirements, it is more about establishing a ‘responsible relationship’ between small farm-holders in Africa and end-consumers in Europe. The farmers show their commitment to supply the end-consumer with ‘safe’ and high quality fresh produce and, in return, the end-consumer recognizes and supports this effort. The convergent technologies of the platform permits the farm-holder to use his or her mobile phone to record certified data on their produce and allows the consumer to check the quality and safety of the mango and to know more about the farmer, including the farmer’s project and family. In addition, every player along this value chain - the middleman, the exporter, the importer, the logistic company and finally the retailer - uses the same platform to complete each operation on time”.

Ambitions for the future

Although it is still too early to tell whether the sales have risen permanently thanks to the platform, it is expected that the platform will help to attract new fruit importers, specifically from the North.

For the fruit producers, the current platform is only the beginning. They want more. This year, Manobi will help them to develop a specific portal for the end-user to market the traceability market code. The functionalities of this portal have already been defined and it is now a matter of looking for additional support from other IT companies to implement it. Fruiléma and Manobi also have plans to develop a group of other mobile solutions on PDAs to cover some internal activities conducted at the farm as well as at the exporter packaging station.

In the middle to long term, the platform will be extended to include other types of produce. Other Malian Unions of exporters have also expressed their interest and are already demanding access to the platform. 

Slowly but surely, the world will discover the best of Malian fruits.