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UNIDO’s support to Hendy Farms reducing post-harvest losses through eco-friendly production
Post-harvest loss is one of the biggest challenges affecting economic growth globally as it largely affects global food security and long-term sustainable growth.
In Africa, fruit losses are estimated to be about 50% or more. To deal with post-harvest losses and support mango and pineapple framers and processors, UNIDO in addition to providing technical assistance on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and harvesting methods, also supported and trained processors and farmers like Hendy Farms and their cluster network, Dangme –West Mango Farmers Association (DAMFA ) to improve the quality of their products and introduced new products into the market.
Located along the Southern belt in Dodowa and burrowed in the hills of the Lartey mountains in Shai Osudoku in Ghana, Hendy Farms owned and managed by two sisters, Rita Brobey and Sandra Snowden, produces some of the finest mangoes in the West African region.
The mango farm which is a second-generation family farm was started in 1997 by their father, Henry Dei, and boasts mango varieties such as Keitt, Kent, and Palmer. It enjoys the privilege of two harvest seasons: May – July (major season) and November and with UNIDO’s technical support has transformed the farm into a processing plant capable of assembling at least 160 smallholder farmers within the Dodowa and Somanya enclaves.
“Thanks to UNIDO’s technical support, our 1-ton capacity solar dome fruit dryer serves the DAMFA mango cluster in the Shai Osudoku district to process new products (dried mango fruit snacks) for the international market and enable year-round processing of fruits. This has contributed to reducing over 40% post-harvest losses during the mango harvesting season and the cluster group has now developed new products that were showcased in Berlin Fruit Logistica 2023. Our newly developed website is also helping us increase the brand presence and sales”
Before UNIDO’s intervention through the European Union-financed West Africa Competitiveness Programme WACOMP), Hendy Farms had a vision of upgrading the mango processing plant of their farm to offer market opportunities to more smallholder mango farmers within the Dodowa and Somanya to minimize fruit waste and losses, increase export and diversify market opportunities.
WACOMP’s Sub-Contracting Matching Scheme, a fund which allows third-party institutions to work complementary with WACOMP to solve industry-related challenges was sourced by the Hendy farms.
UNIDO installed a 1-ton per day solar dryer, allowing the farm to shift to a 100% green production for dried mangoes.
This has strengthened the cooperation with the local mango producers and federated the actors at the cluster level to process unsold fruits and overly riped mangoes using green technology and meeting the required food safety standards of national and international markets.
Mrs. Sandra Snowden (L) and Mrs. Rita Brobey (R), Managers of Hendy Farms
Besides this, UNIDO supported Hendy Farms in strengthening its capacities in E-Marketing and E-Commerce, branding and marketing, product packaging, standard compliance and quality management, including bookkeeping and development of e-commerce websites for their product marketing.
Commenting on the impact at the cluster level, Rita Brobey revealed that more than 100 members with orchards ranging in size from 3 to 90 acres were facing post-harvest losses during the peak of the major harvesting season leading to 50% of matured fruits going waste, a bane that increases their cost and affecting their revenues and profits. UNIDO’s intervention did more than manage post-harvest losses, it also built the capacity of the cluster network of the communities within the Shai Osudoku district.
" The capacity of farmers, cultivating on a total of 335 acres have been built to produce mangoes in line with international certification for processing and export,” she attested.
Members also signed an agreement with Hendy Farms as part of the cluster management activities.
"We have also concluded supplier–purchase agreements to buy quality fruits for processing into dried fruits and other products from members and support their alternative livelihoods. We have also distributed 40,000 seeds of vegetables to cultivate alongside the mangoes which also serve as cover crops for weed control and help minimize production costs,” she further revealed
Promoting Quality Agriculture Practices
“The training gave us a lot of expert knowledge and we were able to develop more knowledge on good agricultural practices and a buyer of our mangoes. We thank UNIDO and the European Union for supporting outgrowers and we plead for refresher courses to be considered in future,”
The EU Delegation in Ghana touring the inside of the Solar Dryer on a field mission on May 16th 2023
Hendy farms use of solar dryer and the finished product currently being sold on the local and internationalmarket
