Juicy taste but safety first

A presentation highlighting product safety and quality for Thai fruit juice industry

Fruit juice industry in Thailand is enjoying a fruitful tree climbing rate with a total market of Baht 12,000 million in 2014. The last year’s total growth rate is at 13 percent.

Napaporn Rattanametta, a Project Manager on Food Safety for ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems Project started her presentation with these facts and figures at the “Seminar on EU Import Control and Food Safety Management at the border: Case study at Frankfurt International Airport” on 25 May 2015 in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

Participants consisted of officials from central and regional agencies, manufacturers, small and medium size exporters roughly about 100 persons.

Her 45-minute session focused on “Improving Product Safety and Quality for Thai Fruit Juice Industry”. A slide after slide in her presentation showed quite shocking pictures of the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ of the fruit juice factories before and after her advisory assistances. Areas to be improved, for example, included fresh fruit quality, fruit washing machine, personal hygiene, plant hygiene, contamination risk reduction and maintenance programme.

She also presented the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems Project’s market survey results on Thai fruit juice in 2012 and 2014. As a result for declared “100 % Guava juice”, only approximately 40 per cent of juice content could be detected in the analysed sample. Meanwhile, in the sample “100 % strawberry” only 20 per cent juice content could be detected. Having been working in the fruit juice industry for over 12 years, Ms. Rattanametta has carried fruit juice factory inspections in a number of factories and conducted training and skill development programmes for fruit juice factory staff across Thailand and Vietnam.

Ms. Napaporn is also a certified auditor for Sure Global Fair (SGF), a global voluntary certification system for fruit processing industry based in Germany.

SGF and the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems Project under Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) or German International Cooperation in English are supporting the Thai fruit juice industry in a private partnership project “Improved Product Safety and Quality for the Thai Fruit Juice Industry” in its efforts to comply with the requirements of the international market. The common objective is to increase safety and quality of Thai fruit juice products in accordance with national and international recognized standards, for example: assure legal and industrial safety and quality standards; maintain fair competition; support the positive reputation of healthy and natural fruit juice products; and ensure consumer satisfaction.

By Rojana Manowalailao, ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems

27/05/201509/08/2017

Organic agrifood products showcase at the launch of Thailand’s crop insurance 2015 scheme promoting agriculture risk management

Thailand’s crop insurance 2015 scheme was recently kicked off in central region’s Ang Thong province on 15 May. Finance Minister Sommai Phasee opened the launch ceremony with over 300 farmers attending the event. GIZ’s ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) project’s representatives were also present.

The Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) is the distribution and claims processing arm of the Thai rice insurance scheme. GIZ signed a “Memorandum of Understanding on joint technical cooperation in the field of strengthening marketing & distribution for crop insurance for smallholder farmers” with BAAC under the SAS’s RIICE (“Remote sensing based information and insurance for crops in emerging economies”) public-private-partnership project.

RIICE is carried by five parties, namely Allianz Re, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (German Development Cooperation), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and sarmap. The parties aim to establish a public-private-partnership model to transfer natural catastrophe risks from farmers and governments to the private insurance sector. The project makes use of remote sensing technologies to observe the growth of rice. Through timely and transparent information on crop losses due to natural catastrophes, insurers can act quickly and pay claims systematically.

It was agreed in the MoU that RIICE will support BAAC in running its insurance operations more efficiently.

29/04/201509/08/2017

Thailand’s 1st Policy Dialogue on Food and Nutrition Security calls for stronger cooperation mechanisms

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by Lisa Faust

Most of the 805 million people who do not have enough to eat in the world, live in countries that have food surpluses rather than deficits. Thailand – the world’s leading exporter of rice and fruits and referred to as the “Kitchen of the World” – too suffers from this paradox. The underlying reason behind why 6.8 percent (FAO, 2014) of the Thai population is considered undernourished is thus not a lack of food availability, but rather insufficient access to food.

From left: Mr. David Oberhuber, Country Director, GIZ Thailand; Ms. Jantida Meedech, Office of Agricultural Economics; Ms. Bangjongjit Angsusingh, Department of Foreign Trade Ministry of Commerce; Dr. Apichart Pongsrihadulchai, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives; Dr. Surmsuk Salakpetch, Department of Agriculture; Mr. Chaisiri Mahantachaisakul, National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards; and Dr. Rangsit Poosiripinyo, Office of Agricultural Economics

This challenge is particularly prevalent in many remote areas and has been exacerbated by a steady increase in food prices and production costs throughout the past decade. Other major obstacles to ensuring food security in Thailand include insufficient nutrition, poverty, climate change, an ageing farmer’s population coupled with their deteriorating health, and inadequate soil and water management.

These issues were raised and discussed at Thailand’s first ‘Policy Dialogue on Food and Nutrition Security and the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework in Thailand’, which was organized in Bangkok on 31 March 2015, by the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) project. Commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the SAS project aims to enable ASEAN Member States in implementing the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework, and its Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security (SPA-FS) at national level.

To ensure long-term food and nutrition security, as well as improve the livelihoods of farmers across the entire ASEAN region, the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework was adopted by the Member states at the 14th ASEAN Summit in 2009 to provide scope and joint pragmatic approaches for cooperation among ASEAN Member States. The ASEAN leaders reiterated the importance to develop a common and unified position to ensure sustainable food security and nutrition in ASEAN and endorsed the new phase of AIFS Framework and SPA-FS, 2015-2020 at the 25^th ASEAN Summit held in November 2014 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

With over 60 participants from various agencies and ministries in Thailand, including high level policy makers from relevant Ministries, the Policy Dialogue provided a platform for exchange of information and to build consensus on policies and strategies for tackling food insecurity within Thailand collectively.

The government of Thailand has given priority to food security as highlighted in the Eleventh National Economic and Social Development Plan (2012-2016), which provided a Strategy for Strengthening the Agricultural Sector, Food and Energy Security. The importance of food security is as well emphasized in the Strategic Framework for Food Security of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (2013-2016) to promote sustainable food production and access to quality and nutritious food,

said Dr. Apichart Pongsrihadulchai, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, during his keynote speech at the Policy Dialogue.

There was census among participants in the following: Firstly, the need to revise the mechanisms of the existing food security Frameworks in Thailand and their implementation. Clear roles and responsibilities have to be assigned to the relevant ministries, private sector and other actors, in order ensure a better understanding among every stakeholder involved. Secondly, as effective implementation of technical solutions is often hindered by limited collaboration between stakeholders, participants call for a concrete cooperation mechanism that facilitates and mandates coordination between the private and public sector. Thirdly, at the ASEAN level, improved cooperation and communication is necessary between the different ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry reporting food security bodies and parallel initiatives. This will enable a more fluid sharing and exchange of information, lessons learnt and experiences between the ASEAN Member States.

“Agriculture is a key sector in terms of social and economic development for Thailand. Though Thailand is considered an advanced country in terms of food security, however, issues and challenges still remain and require collaboration and coordination among relevant ministries, private sector and stakeholders in addressing the issues,”

said Mr. David Oberhuber, Country Director of GIZ Thailand, in his speech at the Policy Dialogue.

To follow-up on the outcomes of this Policy Dialogue, SAS project will organise a second Policy Dialogue on Food and Nutrition Security in early 2017. It is hoped that these Policy Dialogues can contribute towards Thailand’s progress in creating food production systems that incorporate economic, social and environmental dimensions, and eliminate poverty and hunger across the nation.

04/04/201509/08/2017

A Study Tour to Thailand

The GIZ-ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN-SAS) project in Cambodia has brought people together to strengthen the capacity of farmers in organic production techniques, to help them establish linkages to international markets. To that end, the technical staff of GIZ ASEAN-SAS (Cambodia and Thailand), the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC), and CEDAC Sahakreas Ltd. (SKC) undertook a study tour to Thailand, which took place 25-29 January 2015. The aims of the study tour were:

To share experiences with entities working in the organic food sector in Thailand,
To study agricultural best practices, including CO₂ fumigating procedure for organic rice, and
To strengthen the network between practitioners in the organic agriculture sector.

Entities were selected according to the technical background and specific interest of the participants. In the beginning, participants presented their experiences with organic rice value chain development in Cambodia, where the demand for organic rice has been gradually growing. However, there is no established national regulation on the certification and declaration of organic agricultural products, meaning that anyone can claim that their products are organic without any certification. CEDAC has been working with small-scale farmers to promote organic rice production, resulting in the export of approximately 1,000 tons of organic and fair-trade certified rice in 2014. To comply with international organic standards, CO₂ fumigation to eliminate insects before shipment is a requirement for export. Herba Bangkok Sl is a company experienced in CO₂ fumigation and marketing strategies for organic rice. In order to tackle the lack of experience in the CO₂ fumigation procedure, Herba showcased the treatment for the participants: 2kg of CO₂ per ton of rice must be circulated consistently in a covered plastic bag. The share of oxygen must be lower than 13.7%, and the concentration of oxygen and CO₂has to be regularly monitored, or else insects will not be killed within 14 days. In its warehouses, Herba uses mechanical traps, daily cleaning and uniform packaging. Herba buys from organic rice farmer cooperatives and exports mainly to the US and the EU. They are very interested in importing premium organic fragrant and non-fragrant rice, as well as half broken rice, which is an opportunity for Cambodian farmers and CEDAC to enter the market. During the next rice season there will be a joint workshop between farmers, CEDAC and Herba to discuss the production plan.

Xungdur is another organic food company known for initiating market-linked organic food processing, working closely with organic farmer cooperatives that use their own resources to produce
fertilizer and bio-pesticides in compliance with organic standards. Xungdur used to apply conventional practices, which involve high chemical inputs, ultimately causing health problems and low profits. However, once the owner of Xungdur discovered that following organic principles is the most effective method in developing and improving health, she began to promote organic rice and vegetable production to farmers, providing weekly trainings on organic agricultural techniques. She altered Xungdur’s product lines to contain only organic rice, and developed food processing and packaging lines. Xungdur’s products are now well known and in high demand. Government agencies and organizations are assisting the cooperative with production techniques, marketing, and financial resources to strengthen the company’s sustainability.The study tour was very useful and informative to the participants, who gained a better understanding of the concepts and principles of effective business practices and production techniques. Moreover, they benefited from lessons and experiences shared at the training workshop, not only to improve their own knowledge but also to develop ideas that will promote the sustainable development of organic agriculture in Cambodia.

17/09/201409/08/2017

Successful Trials on the Use of BCA to Control Flea Beetles in Chinese Cabbage in Thailand

During a series of Regional Experts Meetings on Biological Control Agents (BCA) organized throughout 2013, many ASEAN Member States (AMS) expressed their interest in conducting research and demonstration trials on the application of BCA for pest management. In Thailand, Chinese cabbage was selected as a priority crop as it is often becomes infested with flea beetles.

Flea beetles have been causing headaches to cabbage farmers for years. A heavy infestation can kill seedlings while moderate damage delays maturity, reduces yield and lowers crop quality making crops unmarketable. Reports indicate that larvae and adult flea beetle infestation is responsible for about 10 percent of yield losses.

Flea beetles infestation in Chinese cabbage

In cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, the Royal Project Foundation, and Thep Watana Co., Ltd., the ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN Biocontrol) has been conducting field trials since January 2014 to test the effectiveness of the microbial and nematodes against flea beetle infestations in Chinese cabbage. Trials in a farmer’s cabbage field in Huai Pong, Chiang Rai were conducted to compare performance of the BCA with a negative control (no pest control) and the farmer’s own practices, which included the use of locally available pesticides.

The results of the first trial conducted between January and March 2014 on the application of both BCA showed significantly better root growth of cabbage during the first 2-3 weeks compared to the negative control. Both agents targeted the larval stages of flea beetles, which cause most of the damage. Further development of cabbage plants through to harvest was similar with both BCA and pesticides, and significantly better than the negative control. However, biocontrol was only applied three times in comparison to six chemical applications. The experiment thus demonstrated that BCA were similarly effective at a lower application rate, thus promising to deliver economic benefits to the farmer. A second trial is under way to confirm this finding.

The results of this field work will be helpful in developing application guidelines for environmentally friendly and safe management of this notorious insect pest in Southeast Asia.