Module 7 - Mali: Building Mango Export Systems

Services to support production are related to agricultural inputs, quality management, conservation techniques, harvesting techniques, seedling sourcing, varieties, orchard restructuring, quality control and certification, and national regulations. Services to support commercialization include organization of the marketing participants, training in export standards, logistics improvement, and financing.

The Agency’s agribusiness centers, which exhibit the Agency’s products for growers, exploit new information technology to offer a reference center and access to an Internet café. Local radio programs, as well as technical books on tape (many villages have a cassette recorder running on batteries), are also used to disseminate information. Given the low local literacy rates, a key future challenge will be to develop management information systems and traceability management systems to track production.

Benefits and Impacts

Benefits include profitability for all partners; reduction by half in transit time to Northern Europe; higher-quality products delivered to customers; access to new European markets; timely payments to growers; farm income diversification; training of the rural labor force; introduction of improved technologies; 25 percent higher prices for growers; increased pack-house employment (60 percent of employees are women); and improved pack-house working conditions and pay.

Lessons Learned and Issues for Wider Applicability

• Successful export systems must establish linkages between farmers and their markets to enable farmers to satisfy and adapt to market demand.
  
  
• Incentive structures between partners (particularly between growers or grower associations and agribusinesses) must be designed to minimize enforcement problems.
  
  
• Efficient and reliable cold chain infrastructure is essential to ensure product quality. Multimodal shipping containers (fitted with specialized equipment to maintain refrigeration) are important, but use of this technology must be complemented by good logistical planning to ensure minimal delays.
  
  
• Quality control is critical for perishables, especially for exports to the EU, which requires high compliance levels. All chain participants must receive training on quality standards and market requirements, and internal control systems must be installed at collection and processing sites.
  
  
• Integrated technical and extension services for production, processing, and distribution are essential for improving supply chain coordination and efficiency.