Meeting global certification requirements
Banana exporter from Malaysia improves export competitiveness
Edmund Chow is the director of Agro Tropika Capital Sdn. Bhd, a Malaysia Good Agricultural Practices (MyGAP) certified banana exporter based in Malaysia.
MyGAP is a certification system that helps farmers adopt sustainable and safe agricultural practices which can lead to increased access to markets, improved food safety, environmental sustainability, improved crop yields, and better working conditions.
Edmund exports Cavendish banana, the local Pisang Berangan variety, pineapples, and Lemon Eureka.
He highlights why the banana remains a popular commodity.
“Bananas are both a major staple in the global tropical zone as well as an important cash crop and significant fruit variety available for American and European consumption. They are the fourth most important crop worldwide for developing countries, where they provide an important starch source.”
In 2019, prior to the pandemic, Agro Tropika Capital was invited to supply bananas for Tokyo Olympics, 2020. HALAL and GLOBALG.A.P certification was required for his exports to be accepted.
MyGAP is specific to the Malaysian market and is implemented by the Department of Agriculture Malaysia, while GLOBALG.A.P is an international certification system implemented by independent auditors with general requirements adaptable to different regions and crops.
Both aim to promote sustainable and safe agricultural practices and help farmers access new markets.
Edmund realized the importance of being certified with globally-recognized standards to expand his export destinations.
To become export competitive, he attended the Sustainable Agriculture workshops related to the EU Green Deal and GLOBALG.A.P, which developed his understanding of the certification requirements. These workshops were arranged by the ARISE Plus Malaysia project.
The company is on its way to becoming GLOBALG.A.P certified which will enable it to widen its global supply chain.
The ARISE Plus Malaysia project supports inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the country through enhancing sustainable business and investment environments, improving product quality and competitiveness, as well as enhancing sustainable and internationally quality-compliant practices in the agri-food sector.
The three-year project is funded by the European Union and is a part of its national and regional ARISE Plus projects to support greater connectivity and economic integration in ASEAN. The project is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry.
