In the multitude of agrotech solutions on the market, not to mention standard or "generalist" IT solutions, Ibrahim El Allioui, Moroccan developer and co-founder of e-acta, suggests that "an agribusiness-oriented ERP must embody the inherent aspects of agriculture: robust yet flexible, adapted to the lively and uncertain nature of agricultural production, and reconciling local performance with global requirements". But what does this mean in concrete terms? El Allioui explains.
"The agricultural sector is fundamentally different from other industries by its very nature. The major difference that makes generalist ERPs unsuitable lies in the living nature of agricultural production. Unlike conventional industry, where fixed quantities of raw materials generate predictable quantities of finished products in a linear fashion, in agriculture the same plant with the same inputs can produce highly variable yields, depending on climate, soil, and other natural and human conditions. This inherent uncertainty in agriculture calls for a management system specifically designed for farmers," El Allioui says.
The developer continues: "Furthermore, the specific needs of the agricultural sector in Morocco impose other imperatives. I can give several examples to prove this, but the most striking is the question my very first customer, a major international group, asked me over ten years ago: how do you know instantly whether to sell a product, tomatoes or peppers or other, on the local market or export it? and how do you know at the same time that the product meets the standards of the export market? To propose an ERP that answers this question, we need to go beyond simple administrative management. And this is the genesis of our actaERP® solution."
To design his ERP, El Allioui co-founded e-acta in 2013. "With 20 years' experience in IT, we came up with a simple solution: unify the management of farms and packing stations in a single platform, in order to instantly provide crucial indicators for decision-making, give the exact cost price at a moment's notice, and automate thousands of operations that were done manually or with dispersed solutions. This is actaERP®, which has found its place in the Moroccan agricultural sector and has since been adopted by several major groups."
According to El Allioui, Moroccan agricultural growers and exporters, especially the large groups, are expressing a need for unified management solutions for both farms and packing houses. This need stems from the speed with which many decisions have to be taken in a decentralized way. He explains: "We've found that agricultural businesses are looking for solutions that enable them to,
- Manage all their operations in real-time, from soil to export.
- Have instantaneous performance indicators, such as product costing, which is crucial when deciding between local or export sales
- Automate quality controls required by international standards
- Optimize and automate the entire HR chain: from daily clocking-in to the generation of pay slips, including DAMANCOM teledeclaration - a critical issue in the agricultural sector, where the management of thousands of employees, particularly at harvest time, can no longer be done manually.
- Access data and enter operations, consumption, and exchanges between farms and stations
- Enable sales staff to access harvest forecasts wherever they are, facilitating sales preparation even before exporting and dispatching produce.
- Navigate natural production variability.
- Adapt forecasts to climatic conditions.
- Adjust to actual yields, which may differ significantly from estimates.
El Allioui continues, "In addition, we have integrated quality monitoring tools based on international standards such as Global GAP, BRC, and HACCP. Our solution is entirely cloud-based, with mobile applications that work without access to internet coverage. This enables field teams to remain productive and manage their tasks, even in areas with limited connectivity."
"To enhance the efficiency and consistency of operations, we have also integrated purchasing, sales, inventory, and accounting management into a common foundation. With over 11 years' expertise in agrotech, we offer quality customer support, personalized training, and regular updates, ensuring that our solution is constantly evolving to meet the needs of modern farms."
actaERP® has been well received by farmers, El Allioui assures: "We've seen significant growth over the last two years, proving the validity of our analysis of the market needs and the success in implementing it technically. We have seen a substantial increase in the number of users, particularly among national and internatinal agricultural groups producing in Morocco, including French, Belgian, Spanish, and Moroccan groups. In terms of supported acreage too, we've seen a big jump. This is due to the adoption of our solution by new large-scale operations, but also to the expansion of existing users who trust us to support their growth. We have strengthened our presence in key sectors such as soft fruit, arboriculture, and early vegetables."
For more information:
Brahim El Allioui
e-acta
Tel: +212 661-940077
Email: [email protected]
www.e-acta.com
www.actaerp.com