Food Waste and Food Loss: a BIG Horticulture Concern in Africa

1
Food Waste and Food Lossa BIG Horticulture
Concern in Africa

• Dr Stephen Mbithi
• CEO
• FPEAK- Fresh Produce Exporters Association of
  Kenya
• Coordinating CEO
• HCA- Horticulture Council of Africa
• Chiefexecutive_at_fpeak.org www.fpeak.org
  254722716956

CTA Brussels Briefing on Food Waste and Food
Loss 26 June 2012
2
Food Waste and Food Lossa BIG issue in fresh
produce

• Food waste and food insecurityrarely go together
• Hence agreed in Africa fresh produce, its more
  food loss (unintended) that food waste (intended)
• In rural Africa with food security challenges and
  lack of refrigeration, fresh produce purchase is
  rationed into small units.
• fresh produce waste in developed countries
• A concern for Africa
• Factored into supermarket pricing
  mechanismleading to poor prices for the farmer
• A less waste would be good for farmers- higher
  price, less land farmed, less resources used

3
Fresh produce loss..3 scenarios

• Some figures Fresh Produce in Kenya
• Volumes- Production
• Domestic 3.8mil MT- about 25 lost
• Export 430,000MT (2011) about 5 lost
• The tomato/leafy veg scenario
• Succulent/perishable and domestically marketed
• Limited to 50-100km marketing radius
• Poor infrastructure, lack of cold preservation
• Highest post harvest (40-50) loss before reaching
  consumer.
• Solutions Infrastructure and Market efficiency

4
The bean..export oriented veg

• Organized production, transportation and grading
  systems
• Export rejections about 25
• Easily bulked and sold for alternative markets or
  use, including cattle fodder.
• Export horticulture is supporting vibrant urban
  dairy keeping around Nairobi-Kenya
• Limited actual loss less than 10
• Policy considerations
• Impact of market efficiency combined with
  logistics consolidation on food loss
• Deliberate development of alternative markets for
  export oriented produce

5
Onion- shelf stable produce

• Grown and marketed mainly locally
• Loss limited less than 5
• Main reason- shelf stable produce, requiring no
  refrigeration at rural households
• Marketed over longer distances than many fresh
  produce
• Policy consideration
• More emphasis on production of shelf stable
  produce in remote and resource challenged rural
  populations? Planned Trade?

6
The mangorecovering from loss

• Rotting mangoes under trees in Kenya vanishing.
• High demand from processors
• Impact of value addition into shelf stable
  products
• In the past.. Some 30 of the 600,000MT
  production was lost
• Estimates in 2011 are 10 post harvest loss
• Demand for mango juice domestic market
  high..encouraging imports
• Policy Consideration
• The SUSTAINABLE role of value addition/technology
  on post harvest loss

7
In conclusion

• Fresh produce.
• Make them more expensive to stem food waste?
• Consumer..? Price some farmers out?
• Define/limit production or trade distances/areas
  for highly perishables
• Aggressively find alternatives for export fresh
  produce?
• Split volumes
• Processvalue add?
• And lose fresh?

Thank You Dr Stephen Mbithi chiefexecutive_at_fpeak.o
rg or stephen-mwikya_at_yahoo.com