Developing regional agri-business, product development and marketing

Organisers: SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC), ICIMOD

Agenda

About the training

Building on the learnings and experiences of SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC) and ICIMOD in value chain development and marketing, a regional training program on ” Developing regional agri-business, product development and marketing” is being organised to facilitate the regional dissemination of knowledge while strengthening market linkages between technology/solutions providers, distributors, and users. Additionally, the training will enhance outreach for policy adoption, practical implementation, and integration into higher education, training, and research.

Objectives

• To build the capacities of implementing agencies in agribusiness management, with a focus on value chain development.
• To enhance knowledge of relevant technologies and processes within the agro-processing sector.

Participants

This training will bring together a total of 8-10 government representatives/focal points of the SAARC member states.

Methodology

The training methodology will be participatory and interactive, encouraging participants to share their experiences, views, and challenges related to the agro-processing sector in South Asia. This will help deepen their understanding of agro-processing systems and familiarize them with the policies, frameworks, and regulations in the SAARC region.

Classroom lectures will cover all aspects of agro-processing, focusing on products such as jackfruit and cassava chips, moringa products, tomato ketchup, and radish pickle. Teaching tools such as handouts, PowerPoint presentations, case studies, group work, and audio-visual aids will be used during sessions. Additionally, practical field trips to agro-processing sites in Nepal will allow participants to experience real-world practices and engage with local communities involved in the sector.

Background

The South Asian region is one of the most populous in the world, with a population of 1.6 billion, representing 24.2% of the global population. The agriculture sector is a major source of employment, providing jobs for 70% of the population and contributing between 24-50% of the region’s GDP. Nearly 60% of the population relies on agriculture for their livelihoods, with an average landholding size of less than one hectare. Over 25% of the population lives below the poverty line and faces acute food shortages for much of the year. Moreover, the region is highly vulnerable to malnutrition.

Fruits and vegetables play a significant role in the agricultural economy of the SAARC Member Countries. These countries produce a substantial quantity of both indigenous and exotic varieties of fruits and vegetables. In recent years, most SAARC Member Countries have seen positive growth in fruit and vegetable production, highlighting their increasing importance in boosting farmers’ incomes, alleviating poverty, and improving the nutritional quality of diets. Vegetables, in particular, are prioritized due to their relatively lower risk compared to fruits. However, the agricultural sector in the region faces several challenges, including high post-harvest losses, inadequate processing facilities and skills, weak supply chain linkages to specialized markets, a lack of modern production and processing technologies, and high input costs.

In this context, ICIMOD has gained valuable experience in working on the value chain development of crops and vegetables, agri-business, marketing, climate change adaptation, and livelihood improvement through income-generating activities in South Asia. In collaboration with its partners, ICIMOD has developed a set of best practices for various agricultural crops, aiming to enhance knowledge and experience sharing among regional participants.

Against this backdrop, in collaboration with SAC’s project Livelihood Enhancement of Small Farmers in the SAARC Region through Small-Scale Agro-business, Focusing on Value Chain Development, ICIMOD is organizing this training to disseminate these best practices to promote a sustainable agro-processing sector in the region. Additionally, the training will strengthen the capacity of ICIMOD and its partners, enabling them to develop future projects focused on reducing post-harvest loss in the region.