ITC, Senegal and CBI working toward increased mango exports from Senegal
The International Trade Centre (ITC), Senegal and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands (CBI) have agreed to work together on a project aimed at bolstering exports of the African country's mangoes to Europe.
The Senegal NTF II Project 'Enhancing export competitiveness of mangoes for the Niayes region in Senegal,' signed on 16 December during the World Trade Organization's ministerial conference, focuses on the export marketing, packaging, quality and trade intelligence issues along the value chain to better comply with requirements of European markets. Attending the signing ceremony were His Excellency Mr. Fode Seck, Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations; Mr. Simon Smits, Director-General of International Relations at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation; and Mr. Jean-Marie Paugam, Deputy Executive Director of ITC.
Senegal, which produces 80 000 tonnes of mangoes, accounts for 0.25% of global production and 0.4% of the world's exports. ITC will work with Agence Senegalaise de Promotion des Exportations (ASEPEX) and the Cooperative federative des acteurs de l'horticulture du Senegal (CFAHS) to build a competitive and sustainable value chain to export mangoes from the Niayes region.
The project focuses on non-traditional markets for Senegalese mangos, such as Germany, the Netherlands and Eastern Europe, and is designed to tap new value-added European markets for fresh mangoes. The plan will help ASEPEX and CFAHS provide efficient support services to producers, exporters and SMEs in the mango industry through practical training, coaching, advisory services and business matchmaking.
The Netherlands Trust Fund II is a four-year programme, based on a partnership agreement signed between ITC and CBI, that began in April 2009 and focuses on 'the creation of sustainable exporter competitiveness in selected potential export sectors and selected partner countries'. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs funds the programme, which covers five countries including Senegal.