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Production is only half the battle - A training manual in fresh produce marketing for the Eastern Caribbean








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    Book (stand-alone)
    Bulletin
    Horticultural marketing - a resource and training manual for extension officers 1991
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    If farmers are to increase production, more attention needs to be paid to the fact that their output must be marketed at a rewarding price. Commercialization of the small farm sector requires the development of market-orientated production, as opposed to the occasional sale of subsistence surpluses. Success in commercializing this sector thus depends on the orientation of production to meet market demand and on the removal, or reduction, of a broad range of marketing constraints. In most count ries marketing problems are currently regarded as beyond the scope of field-level agricultural extension workers who are the officers in direct contact with the farmers. Even when extension workers are able to identify marketing problems faced by farmers their lack of expertise in this field, or knowledge of appropriate sources of assistance, makes them unable to help. This manual, which has been prepared by G. Dixie of High Value Horticulture plc, U.K. on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Or ganization of the United Nations (FAO), aims to provide appropriate resource and training material on marketing for extension officers working with farmers who produce horticultural produce for both domestic and export markets. Although the manual is too detailed for everyday use by most extension workers, it is hoped that it will be used by agricultural colleges for their training courses in agricultural marketing and, indeed, may encourage such colleges to devote a greater part of their curric ula to marketing. Further, it is also expected that this manual will be used by marketing officers working with ministries of agriculture in training field-level extension officers and that it will be a valuable reference work for marketing extension workers where resources permit such specialization. The manual should also prove of value to processing organizations, traders' associations and others working in the area of horticultural marketing.
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    Steps in preparing fresh produce for market 2005
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    Present and future markets for fish and fish products from small-scale fisheries - Case studies from Asia, Africa and Latin America. (Available online only) 2008
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    At the twenty-sixth session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, FAO was requested to identify how trade in fish and fish products could further benefit small-scale fisheries and generate additional income and employment within the sector. Following this request, case studies were carried out in selected Latin American, African and Asian countries to study the importance of small-scale fisheries trade and identify opportunities for better integration into regional and international fish trade. The findings and recommendations of the case studies were presented and discussed at the tenth session of the FAO Sub-Committee on Fish Trade, held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from 30 May to 2 June 2006. In the countries studied, the contribution of the small-scale fisheries sector to the total marine catch was significant and ranged from 70 to 95 percent. The studies show that products from small-scale fisheries are largely focused on the domestic market. In Africa regional trade in small-scale fisheries products was found to be very important for meeting the protein requirements of poor people. Women are actively involved in fish processing and marketing and also participate in capture fisheries in coastal areas and estuaries as well as in other forms of harvesting of aquatic organisms. Their involvement results in increased well-being of their households since womens income is largely spent on food and childrens education. Study findings suggest that women can gain from increasing trade opportunities through their involvement in value adding activities and enterprises. The studies identified several avenues for better integration of small-scale fisheries into regional and international fish trade. Among them are product diversification, value addition, improvement of product quality and the access to new markets. However, a number of constraints need to be overcome before this can be achieved. Post-harvest losses due to poor infrastructure and lack of sto rage and transportation facilities need to be reduced and knowledge of proper fish handling methods needs to be improved. While products for export are meeting high quality standards, products for domestic and regional markets are often processed using substandard hygienic methods. Small-scale fisheries are also excluded from international markets because of the costs and difficulties encountered when trying to comply with international standards and those imposed by supermarket chains and other customers. The studies suggest that efforts should be aimed at improving facilities for preserving fish onboard, at the establishment of hygienic fish landing sites, increasing storage facilities and the supply of ice as well as improving roads, which connect fishing communities to markets. Equally important are the improvement of technical support and extension services to enable fishing communities to access appropriate technologies and information and training on quality improvement, p roper fish handling procedures and storage, product diversification, value addition as well as on packaging. Fishing communities should also be assisted in assessing their fisheries and aquatic resources and identifying those that have potential for trade in the domestic, regional and international markets. Small-scale fishers and processors can get better prices for their products by shortening the fish supply chain and increasing their bargaining and lobbying power. In this regard, the fo rmation of marketing cooperatives should be encouraged and existing associations of small-scale fishers and processors should be strengthened by providing support for institution building. There is also a need to raise awareness among microfinance institutions regarding the needs of the small-scale fisheries sector for credit and savings services.

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