In tandem with the growth of the fresh produce industry in Morocco, the ecosystem of services for farmers and exporters is expanding in the country. The fresh produce handling industry, including post-harvest operations, is one of the pillars of this ecosystem. Dounia El Hamoumi, sales manager of Ideapack, the exclusive distributor of Greenkeeper products in Morocco, shares her understanding of the needs of producers and exporters in terms of fresh produce handling.
Dounia says, "We've found that industry players face a number of challenges in handling fresh produce, particularly during post-harvest operations. These multi-faceted challenges range from the traceability of operations to the storage of perishable products while taking into account natural and human parameters, to meeting the stringent and constantly changing requirements of destination markets. Mastering all these parameters has become an integral part of this industry, yet the exciting part is that it also encompasses untried opportunities to improve quality and enhance process efficiency and cost reduction. I'd even go so far as to say that it's just as important as production itself."
Dounia continues, "More concretely, we have identified three key needs in which we can intervene alongside our customers, providing them with the most up-to-date and effective solutions available on the global market:
- Technology and digitization of post-harvest operations: we are seeing a growing demand for produce traceability, particularly in European and international markets, pushing for the adoption of innovative technologies to provide digital traceability and monitor temperature and humidity conditions during transport and storage.
- Innovation in the storage and handling of fresh produce, which is where our company comes in, for example, to extend the shelf life of fruit and vegetables, especially those sensitive to oxidation or humidity, such as red fruit, citrus fruit, melon or apples...
- Adapting to the requirements of new markets, beyond the European Union to include markets such as the United States, the Gulf States, and China, in terms of handling, transport, and documentation.
"We accordingly intervene on upgrading our customers' infrastructure in line with these parameters and needs, and on training their teams, which is proving important in reducing costs and preserving fresh produce quality until it reaches the final customer," Dounia assures.
IdeaPack's spearhead, according to Dounia, is its ethylene-absorbing solutions, whose "impact in terms of waste reduction and shelf-life extension is crystal clear." She elaborates, "Ethylene can lead to premature ripening and spoilage of fresh produce, which is exposed to it whether in cold stores, during handling or transport - in other words, all the time. By using ethylene absorbents, we can slow down the ripening process and extend product shelf life. From an economic point of view, we offer exporters an effective means of reducing volume losses and delivering more products in good condition to destination markets. Improved quality helps exporters obtain better prices and improves their competitiveness. It also helps them reduce logistical costs, particularly those associated with storage and express transport. Our customers who have adopted these solutions not only see lower costs but also fewer complaints."
Dounia adds, "Fresh produce, from this point of view, has two life phases, ripening and aging, and these life phases take place post-harvest. Our solutions enable exporters to prolong these phases as much as possible. Preservation also differs depending on the product, which may be climacteric or non-climacteric. As an exclusive distributor, we bring our customers the expertise of our partner GreenKeeper Iberia in the preservation of all types of fresh produce, and help them to get rid of the ethylene headache."
During the post-harvest process, Moroccan exporters of fresh produce are often faced with disputes linked to breaches in the cold chain during transport and delivery, and the absence of supporting documentation. Dounia says, " That's one of the needs often expressed by our customers. Exporters need to access and record temperature and humidity during the journey of their products, thereby strengthening their position in the event of a dispute with customers or insurers. There are several solutions available for deferred temperature and humidity recording. Alongside these solutions, we offer our customers the possibility of real-time access to these parameters."
For more information:
Dounia El Hamoumi
Idea Pack
Tel: +212 661-874859
Email: [email protected]