WORLDWIDE - The multinational supplier Westfalia Fruit Group is lifting its partnerships to new heights. Westfalia is growing its partnerships with smallholder farmers throughout its global network, providing access to global markets and empowering them to build sustainable livelihoods.
“Our approach—under which we provide excellent returns for crops as well as support technical advice, [and] help to achieve global accreditation standards and educational initiatives—is part of a wide-ranging community support agenda that illustrates Westfalia’s commitment to a long-term sustainable partnership with local growers and communities,” said Johnathan Sutton, Westfalia Group Executive of Safety and Environment.
Westfalia is training its focus on some of the poorest and most remote regions of the world. In Africa, South America, and beyond, these partnerships have helped communities to be lifted out of poverty while allowing Westfalia to meet the burgeoning consumer demand for avocados and other fruits.
According to the release, Westfalia is collaborating with a cooperative of 80 experienced avocado producers in Peru to help them achieve GLOBALG.A.P. certification, which would enable them to access the international avocado market and create sustainable local employment. In 2022, Westfalia Peru celebrated the first collective of small and medium growers across five key growing regions who successfully achieved Rainforest Alliance certification.
The company also supported a group of farmers in a remote region of Tanzania, providing assistance to the avocado production for the late international marketing window, with the first crops arriving in 2021 in those markets. In 2022, both South Africa and India granted access to Tanzanian avocados, providing a new market for the locally developing industry.
“Westfalia’s experience and global reach means we can go to remote areas that have huge potential; and with our local grower partners, we can sustainably work with the community farms transforming them into something of value, creating job opportunities for local people, benefiting them financially, and protecting the natural environment. In return, they help us with expanding our diverse footprint to meet the year-round demand for avocados,” said Sutton.
As part of Westfalia’s collaborative approach, Westfalia Fruit nurseries are strategically located near growing areas. The nurseries focus on growing clonal plants that are acclimatized to the local environment and have characteristics that make them more pest and disease tolerant to produce good yields for growers and require minimal pest control.
“We work very much in partnership with smallholders, bringing them into the value chain, helping with certification and accreditations whilst building sustainable future wealth for the local communities,” concluded Sutton. “Our local teams are now working with smallholders to develop financial and management skills to also support their long-term sustainable development.”
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