Extending export opportunities to smallplot dragon fruit growers through Good Agricultural Practices Campbell J, Nguyen Van Hoa, Nguyen Huu Hoang May 2010 A report prepared for: Hassall and Associates International Campbell, J Plant & Food Research, Nelson Nguyen Van Hoa, Nguyen Huu Honga Southern Horticultural Research Institute, Vietnam SPTS No xxxx PFR Client Report No xxxxx PFR Contract No 22663 DISCLAIMER Unless agreed otherwise, The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited does not give any prediction, warranty or assurance in relation to the accuracy of or fitness for any particular use or application of, any information or scientific or other result contained in this report Neither Plant & Food Research nor any of its employees shall be liable for any cost (including legal costs), claim, liability, loss, damage, injury or the like, which may be suffered or incurred as a direct or indirect result of the reliance by any person on any information contained in this report This report has been prepared by The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited (Plant & Food Research), which has its Head Office at 120 Mt Albert Rd, Mt Albert, Auckland This report has been approved by: John Campbell Scientist Date: Louise Malone Science Group Leader, Applied Entomology Date: Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development CARD Project Progress Report 029/07/VIE Extending export opportunities to small-plot dragon fruit growers through Good Agricultural Practices Milestone THIRD SIX-MONTHLY REPORT October 2009 Contents 1 Institute Information 1 2 Project Abstract 2 3 Executive Summary 2 4 Introduction & Background 3 5 Progress to Date 6 Report on Cross-Cutting Issues 16 6.1 Environment 6.2 Gender and Social Issues 16 16 Implementation & Sustainability Issues 16 7.1 Issues and Constraints 7.2 Options 7.3 Sustainability 16 16 17 8 Next Critical Steps 17 9 Conclusion 18 10 Statutory Declaration 19 7 5 5.1 Implementation Highlights 5 5.1.1 Pilot packhouse progress towards BRC certification compliance 5 5.1.2 Documentation of numbers and volumes of dragon fruit from small-holder farmers 6 5.1.3 Project initiated dragon fruit farmer, packer, exporter and market linkages progress 7 5.1.4 Development of the previous pilot outreach delivery 8 5.1.5 Review of postharvest practices, recommendations for immediate improvements, and opportunities for further research to improve postharvest performance of dragon fruit 9 5.2 Smallholder Benefits 12 5.3 Capacity Building 13 5.4 Publicity 15 5.5 Project Management 15 Glossary APHIS BRC CARD CAR DARD DF EUREPGAP GA3 GAP GlobalGAP HACCP HAI ICM IPM SGS SOFRI UK USA WTO PPD P&F R TORs USDA VIETGAP YPRMS The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of USDA British Retailers Consortium: Global Standard - FOOD Collaboration for Agriculture and Rural Development Corrective Action Requirements Department of Agricultural Research and Development Dragon Fruit Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group; Good Agricultural Practice Gibberellic Acid C19H22O6 Good Agricultural Practice GLOBAL Good Agricultural Practice Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points Hassall and Associates International Integrated Crop Management Integrated Pest Management Société Générale de Surveillance Southern Horticultural Research Institute United Kingdom United States of America World Trade Organisation Plant Protection Division The Plant and Food Research Institute of New Zealand Terms of Reference United States Department of Agriculture VIETnam Good Agricultural Practice Young Professional Research Management Specialist Institute Information Project Name Extending export opportunities to small-plot dragon fruit growers through Good Agricultural Practices Vietnamese Institution Southern Horticultural Research Institute Vietnamese Project Team Leader Nguyen Van Hoa Australian Organisation The New Zealand Plant and Food Research Institute Ltd Australian Personnel John Campbell, Allan Woolf and Leonie Osborne Date commenced February 2008 Completion date (original) February 2010 Completion date (revised) Reporting period Milestone 5: Third Six-Monthly Progress Report – October 2009 Contact Officer(s) In Australia: Team Leader John Campbell Name: Position: Project Leader Organisation Plant and Food Research Telephone: Fax: Email: +64 9073602 +64 9073596 john.campbell@plantandfood.co.nz In Australia: Administrative contact Mrs Leonie Osborne Name: Executive Assistant Position: Organisation Plant and Food Research Telephone: Fax: Email: +64 925 7232 +64 925 8626 leonie.osborne@plantandfood.co.nz In Vietnam Dr Nguyen Minh Chau Name: Project Champion Position: Organisation SOFRI Telephone: Fax: Email: +84 73 893 129 +84 73 893 122 mch@hcm.vnn.vn Project Abstract Producers of dragon fruit in Vietnam have seen prices for their fruit decline by about 60% since 2000, which can be attributed, in part, to their dependence on local and nearby exports There are about 10 major exporters in Vietnam but a significant portion of the total production is sourced from many small-holder growers During the previous dragon fruit GAP project 037/04VIE, growers were evaluated through a benchmarking study to determine the status of the dragon fruit producers against the standards required by high value export markets The project then proceeded to implement documented quality systems, training and mentoring in a “Pilot” of exporter, packer, and large and smallholder dragon fruit farms that met the standards of BRC Global – Food Issue in the packhouse and GlobalGAP on the farms The established “working quality model” is now testing the high value markets of the United Kingdom, Europe and the USA This project, “Extending export opportunities to small-plot dragon fruit growers through good agricultural practices”, will complete the linkages with the high value markets, consolidate the pilot establishment to ensure sustainability, provide expansion of the pilot operation and establish new commercial dragon fruit operations in the Binh Thuan, Tien Giang and Long An provinces Large numbers of small-plot growers will have the opportunity to access high monetary value markets for their dragon fruit Transfer of the technology generated during the dragon fruit projects is available and is being applied to other horticultural crops Executive Summary This report, Milestone 5, of the dragon fruit project 029/07VIE, covers the milestone description “Third Six-Monthly Report” All personnel from the previous dragon fruit project hold similar responsibilities in this project and remain unchanged Due to promotion and increased responsibilities for the project leader’s counterparts, Dr Hoa and Mr Hoang, development of the next tier of the project personnel has been addressed by SOFRI management and the original dragon fruit team as part of project delivery The Hoang Hau Dragon fruit Farm project pilot packhouse was audited against the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety – Issue The packhouse was very close to certification to the standard but a significant increase in the packhouse throughput and a need to increase skilled personnel levels and capability will delay full certification attempts until a new large packing facility, disinfestation equipment and coolstorage developments are in place and commissioned The project pilot packhouse has achieved GlobalGAP on-farm packing Certification The SOFRI project team has continued to provide technical assistance to the packhouse to ensure it progressed towards operating at the BRC Standards Transfer of the quality system responsibilities to the packhouse from the SOFRI project team is well advanced and the third party training for specialist components of the quality system has been completed e.g HACCP and Internal Auditor certification of two senior packhouse personnel by SGS Vietnam The project pilot, Hoang Hau dragon fruit farmers’ group achieved GlobalGAP recertification during the previous reporting period and a successful random audit was conducted by SGS Vietnam in October Two corrective action requirements (CAR) were identified during the audit and subsequently implemented Recently there has been a major change in awareness in Vietnam horticulture of, and need for, food safety in the region and in particular the call by China that it will allow into the country only fruit from registered farmers, packers and exporters who can provide safety assurance and full product traceability Project developed national capability has, from the beginning of the first dragon fruit project, been integrated into the SOFRI outreach and training services programme SOFRI is very well equipped and is responding to the challenge of providing guidance and training to ensure as many fruit producers as possible learn the skills necessary to enable them to meet GAP compliance The project outreach programme is expanding the replication of the first dragon fruit project pilot model into all project designated areas and the dragon fruit project team is very much in demand to assist GAP developments Momentum of the GAP initiative in Vietnam has accelerated and delivery is being made at the appropriate standard to each specific circumstance e.g VietGAP for local market and near country exports, GlobalGAP, BRC, USA, and other market-demanded standards for high value export markets Commercial dragon fruit packers/exporters who can meet market standards and are willing to invest in the development of small-holder farms to enable them to supply product complying with GlobalGAP Standards continue to be identified and provided with training assistance SOFRI’s skills and facilities for horticultural quality training/verification services, science to problem solve, continual industry improvement, analytical and diagnostic services to industry, provision of training facilities and trainers, etc continues to expand SOFRI and SGS Vietnam as a Certifying Body for auditing, certification and training have advanced their joint venture and have provided horticultural, technical and quality training to SGS specialists, SOFRI staff and industry personnel The Plant & Food Research postharvest specialist, Dr Allan Woolf, has continued to mentor the SOFRI postharvest leader, Dr Nguyen Van Phong, to develop and implement his research programme to identify ways to extend the storage life of dragon fruit and to address market access issues Dr Phong, facilitated by the CARD Twinning Project, visited P&F R in Auckland for a week-long study tour in June 2009 where the dragon fruit project postharvest research programme was advanced Significant progress has been made by Dr Phong during his limited time to the position in the areas of increasing the dragon fruit storage life, postharvest storage life, development of the dragon fruit grade standards and contributing to the project’s postharvest outreach quality system implementation Introduction & Background This project is a continuation of the earlier project: “Developing Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) systems for dragon fruit producers and exporters in Binh Thuan and Tien Giang provinces” 037/04VIE The aims of this project are to consolidate the GAP work of the previous project, deliver high value market benefits to increasing numbers of small-holder dragon fruit farmers of the Tien Giang and Long An provinces as well as Binh Thuan, to increase the capability of national personnel to implement GAP systems to international market standards and to establish improvement programmes for postharvest treatments and practices The specific project objectives are: Objective To develop and maintain the market-driven GAP dragon fruit exporter, packer and farmer group working pilot, by: Attaining BRC certification for the pilot packhouse Maintaining GlobalGAP compliance for the farmer group Linking the pilot with high value export markets for compliant dragon fruit Expanding the working model pilot to the wider Binh Thuan dragon fruit production area and into the provinces of Tien Giang and Long An Objective To develop the postharvest and production models to enable small-holder dragon fruit farmers access to high value markets, by: Establishing replicates of the pilot model quality system to ensure market-driven compliance and to facilitate farmer access to high value markets Creating a quality system environment in each developed unit that provides the technical and quality leadership that enables dragon fruit producers to meet and maintain the standards necessary to export to high value markets Establishing methods to mitigate constraints preventing dragon fruit farmers from accessing high value markets (for example: the role of the collector and traceability disruption) Objective To develop quality systems technology delivery capability within SOFRI and the private sector, by: Encouraging linkages between SOFRI and the private sector to expand the dragon fruit pilot model Mentoring GAP technology transfer capability at SOFRI Mentoring application of postharvest capability at SOFRI for direct application for quality improvement, extending shelf-life and problem solving The approach and methodology of this project will be similar to the previous project For example: The New Zealand project team provides mentoring for GAP, understanding quality systems and technology delivery to SOFRI project and other personnel SOFRI personnel deliver their GAP quality system and technology skills to the dragon fruit industry The private sector takes up the technology and expands/improves the model at the level required by high value export markets The systems applied enable the small-holder dragon fruit farmer to access increased revenue from compliant fruit being exported 16 Appendix SOFRI Research Farm and General Project Mentoring Proposed packhouse for SOFRI as part of the Twinning Project Comments for Dr Hoa John Campbell April 2009 These comments result from a request by Dr Chau during my visit for the dragon fruit project as he wished to tap into my experience: in Plant & Food Research (P&F R), Research Orchard management, in the provision of an outdoor laboratory facility which includes packing facility support to postharvest and horticultural science programmes, the commercial harvesting, grading, packing and exporting of an emerging crop (Arguta CNVP), as General Manager of a large commercial pipfruit packhouse, as Quality Manager of the same packhouse and my experience in Vietnam during the dragon fruit project implementation SOFRI is under pressure to deliver on the Twinning Project packhouse development component through the implementation of a modern packhouse in line with the various Twinning Project reports prepared by Dr’s Gavin Ross and Allan Woolf It is my belief that SOFRI should progress the project progressively and systematically with attention to the needs of SOFRI researches in the first instance, accommodate an in-house commercial component, then when confident and if the proposal is financially viable (a pure business decision) expand into a complete and modern postharvest facility in an appropriate area The needs of SOFRI Science: • A facility for researchers to grade/evaluate product from field trials to science trial requirements and or market standards – will require some specific non-commercial science equipment • A dedicated place to prepare and apply postharvest treatments including product cooling regimes – operated at the packhouse level with detailed trials/evaluations subsequently done in existing wet and dry laboratories (for evaluations such as soluble solids, dry matter, penetrometer, disorders, etc.) Commercial: • A facility to grade, pack and market fruit produced on the SOFRI Research Farm at the standards demanded by the target market – to maximise revenue earning from commercial plantings and resource blocks (refer to the Research orchard discussion: blocks planted for science and either unused for science or producing market acceptable product) • A secure facility for the grading, packing and marketing of newly emerging crops/advanced selections from the various breeding programmes – controlled display/release of PVR product • A modern and appropriate postharvest facility to use in the SOFRI outreach and training programmes • A postharvest facility to evaluate the feasibility of a truly commercial postharvest complex being developed in a position close to the fruit source • If expansion to developing a commercial postharvest facility in the field were to be implemented in the future then the facility at SOFRI coupled with the expertise of key staff would provide excellent start-up and ongoing training of packhouse personnel ©The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited (2010) This report is confidential to Report title Page General comments Packhouse development key issues include: • The packhouse must be able to handle large fruit such as Red and White fleshed dragon fruit; Green Mango; Seedless Guava as well as small fruits such as Longan, Rambutan, etc • The development of a single packhouse for all purposes may not be practicable: o the SOFRI science needs are multi-crop while a commercial packhouse could well be a single, possibly two crop packing facility o the commercial component of the possible new roadside packhouse development at SOFRI could make it difficult to conduct the research programmes o science trials may be incompatible with the quality standards of the commercial packhouse and compromise the robustness of the postharvest science data o also the use of the commercial facility for training purposes could cause a safety issue and affect the financial viability of the packhouse • Basing the commercial packhouse at such a distance from the production area could greatly reduce any competitive advantage gained from the packhouse having high quality technical and training support from the Research Institute Packhouse development resourcing: • The SOFRI packhouse will be a site and purpose specific facility and as such should be funded by SOFRI This packhouse must have a “science” focus to develop technologies and to problem solve for the pre and postharvest components of the horticulture industry Even with a lot of commercial content (research farm fruit packing, contracted problem solving for industry) it would be difficult to run at a profit – the resourcing and operation of the SOFRI packhouse should be treated in a similar manner to that of any other laboratory at the SOFRI site • It is suggested that the proposed packhouse development be discussed with SIAEP as that Institute may well want to assist in constructing postharvest handling equipment for testing, demonstration, training of customers SIAEP may well want to also use the facility and in doing so could possibly offer resources for its development • The commercial second stage packhouse will be purely a commercial enterprise and must recruit separate funding: this may well be from SOFRI, its staff (as has been suggested) or from other sources Develop the SOFRI “old sheds” complex as a multi-crop postharvest facility in the first instance: • With the capability to handle all science programme needs for all crops • To evaluate new equipment and systems – consideration be given to including such postharvest items as disinfestation equipment complete with secure insect proof areas to demonstrate capability or pursue specific market entry/access/evaluations • Have sufficient capacity to handle product from proposed commercial plantings at the SOFRI site – to enable SOFRI to capitalise on elevated returns usually received from newly released advanced selections to the market • Extra capacity is beneficial if packing out-sourced product commercially but this invariably clashes with the science programme needs which must not be compromised • Science programmes, also the research farm packhouse requirements fluctuate making capacity for commercial packing very difficult to predict (fulfil) • If contracting commercial packing of out-sourced perishable product SOFRI must commit to honouring the contract: if packing on a fee for service basis the product owners will not accept anything that materially reduces or is even perceived to reduce the value of their product (holding short storage life fruit in cool-storage until science programmes using the facility have been completed) • Management of the P&F R packhouse is the responsibility of the Research Orchard manager (ROM) and this is practical due to the seasonal fluctuations of the science programmes and harvest periods of crops processed • Maintenance of the P&F R packhouse is the responsibility of the ROM in collaboration with science “clients”, asset management and service providers to ensure the facility meets the needs of the client and is compliant with all the required standards (equipment service and calibration, etc.) at packing time • Labour for functions at peak times is provided mostly by contractors with training provided jointly by the ROM and contractor • Hands on operation of an onsite packhouse will provide SOFRI personnel with experience to pass on during training of farmers and other packhouse operators • • • The SOFRI model postharvest facility would be in a position to provide ongoing technical support to the commercial packhouse (other packhouse training services at a fee) Establish the packhouse, its systems and processes to the GlobalGAP Standard for “On-farm Packhouse” Heavy transport to service an onsite postharvest facility at this level would be low ©The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited (2010) This report is confidential to Report title Page General project leader mentoring DF Project leader visit of 16 -25 August 2009 – observations and comments as part of the mentoring of the second tier of the dragon fruit GAP team SOFRI packhouse development The SOFRI packhouse project was updated by Dr Phong, SOFRI Postharvest leader: Confirmed that the SOFRI packing facility would be specifically used for SOFRI science and research farm requirements Confirmed that only one of the identified redundant sheds would be allocated to be converted into a compact packhouse for the SOFRI science and site farm purposes (one closest to the office block) – add photo’s Dr Phong has drafted an appropriate design for the shed to be converted into a multi-crop packhouse Indicated that resources for the conversion of the old shed into a modern postharvest facility are limited Dr Phong’s draft plan for the packhouse was discussed, the site visited and development/implementation programme commented on Following are some comments relating to the packhouse project as discussed: Packhouse use: The packhouse use was confirmed as primarily being used for the postharvest science programmes It will be used for postharvest handling of fruit produced at the SOFRI experimental farm (can involve some significant sized blocks) – market evaluation of emerging crops and stand-out selections of existing crops emanating from the various breeding programmes It will also be used as a demonstration model for technology transfer to the horticulture industry at the GlobalGAP level Establishment comments: Consider the likely needs of the packhouse well into the future – plan for improvement/development as resources become available For example: plan and allocate room for expansion for eventually having several cool-stores when there may be only current funding for one (the ultimate requirement will be for different temperature regimens/atmospheres and to separate out different and incompatible crops – ethylene production/sensitivity); disinfestation facilities and insect proof chamber (accessing funding for the ultimate cool-storage facilities early would greatly enhance to quality of the postharvest research and capitalise on the current postharvest enthusiasm) Plan to construct and equip the facility in compliance with market driven industry standards (For example: GlobalGAP on farm packing option) even if the facility does not pursue Certification – utilise the skills and experience of the SOFRI quality team to establish, operate and maintain operations at the standards Develop associations with specific high value markets such as Tesco’s, Metro, Marks and Spencer’s, others, as a pathway between research and commercial development/delivery (new cultivar development) Plan for practical ease of preparation for changes of standards/crops: For example changing from conventional to organic compliance, upgrading for market specific standards (Tesco’s, Marks and Spencer, etc which could mean a complete clear-out and clean of the facility between handling different crops/standards) General comments: Use only construction materials that are acceptable within the standards Provide adequate lighting including diffusers on the lights – it will be particularly important to have a well lit fruit evaluation area (quality control area) to use as a science wet laboratory Water in and water out: test well water and treat if required to meet standards; convey fruit washing waste water back to ponds after removal of solids (collection sump); ensure grey and black water have appropriate treatment/disposal systems Develop packhouse protocols for all operations; health and safety; security; etc (rejection of any person with contagious diseases; staff and visitor entry registration; hygiene training; washing facilities at entry including sanitizer dispensers at appropriate positions; appropriate signage and training posters; appropriate protective wear for staff, etc., etc., ….) When developing these quality systems they will need to be an integral part of the overall SOFRI quality systems – the system can be benchmarked against any market driven quality system and specific improvements applied to meet compliance DF team project implementation/outreach: 1) Duong Xuan Co-op, Long An Director – Mr Nguyen Huu Tai 65 members and 40 hectares In 2004 was part of Dr Vo Mai’s initiative to implement VietGAP That initiative stopped and the group is currently starting GlobalGAP implementation Some documentation on use Fruit packed at Mr Chau’s packhouse but not always Markets for the group’s fruit is variable 2) Packhouse wanting SOFRI assistance with design and implementation of; first GlobalGAP but ultimately BRC Certification Owner – Mr Chau Luc Tinh, Duong Xuan Hoi Village, Chau Thanh District, Long An Province Mr Chau intends to implement GlobalGAP, ultimately BRC standards Dr Phong has designed packhouse modifications – has a fruit delivery transport problem: no turn-around space at the back of the extended property Suggest alternative option of less structural change and to include cool-storage: Dr Phong to design alternative options Cool-storage need was highlighted by a report of a recent shipment of DF to Indonesia which failed due to refrigerated container high temps, spoilt fruit and rots Site has issues due to commercial agrichemical store adjacent to the proposed packhouse – advised to install a physical barrier (wall and maybe store ventilator) and check with the SGS auditor during to project planning stage so money not wasted and compliance met (cover yourself by having design/recommendations signed off by auditor/CB even if that person should leave) Ultimate intention is to relocate the agrichemical store The packer has an issue with pesticide applications demanded by the customer (China) – product unlabelled and reported as having a smell similar to 24D/Bavistin – SOFRI team Advised never to use unlabelled agrichemicals; follow GlobalGAP standards for agrichemical handling and use Communicate with the customer that no illegal agrichemical treatments will be used Possibly if the dragon fruit is handled in the correct manner it may not need treatment – try untreated sample with any treated shipment to show and convince the customer Keep a sample of all shipments in the cool-store library to verify fruit integrity of the product in case of customer fake challenges – can be disposed of following an appropriate time after fruit paid for and a reasonable expectation the fruit has been consumed Do not send fruit to a customer who demands use of an illegal or unsafe product under any circumstances – it may destroy any certified standard in place for other high value markets Get expert advise and work with the customer (and value chain) for any problem solving In general: set the development up for quality systems and processes to follow “best practice” principles For example the option for a smaller efficient packhouse including adequate coolstorage would be a better option for fruit quality and extended storage life than a large packhouse with no cool-storage facilities (if relying on refrigerated containers then this option is not designed to cool the fruit, only to maintain cold temperatures Can cause complete destruction of fruit if the container is overstuffed) Encourage packer to coordinate with other packers/exporters when certified for safe, legal and quality production – industry wide uniformity of product, systems, standards, coolchain, etc 3) Star apple packing house near SOFRI – developed at GlobalGAP on farm packing option Originally initiated by SOFRI but the person responsible left SOFRI – picked up at the Provincial level It is strongly recommended that: “Any packer who elevates their packhouse to either the GlobalGAP or BRC Standard always operates in accordance with the standards” If packing reverts to the traditional system it will contaminate the quality packing system and management will be unable to maintain compliance for the quality operation Waste (unnecessary costs) can be reduced through: Harvesting, grading and packing close to the grade standards (note the grade standard implementation protocol) – fruit of a high packout (80% +) being processed is easy and fast to ©The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited (2010) This report is confidential to Report title Page process; fruit with a low packout (30 – 50%) is difficult and very slow to process and has a consistently high likelihood of non-compliance Train staff to operate to the specification of the fruit for each particular market It is possible to be operating the packhouse to satisfy several “market” specifications at on time: o Fruit into the system is graded for all defects o Fruit processed and flows to the end of the machine o Fruit then graded for specific markets: can be for colour; cosmetic; size; etc o Fruit then moves to separate market specific lines Hoang Hau Dragon fruit packhouse: Strongly recommend the installation of the protection strips on all four rails while the machine is stripped to install the new replacement conveyor Trial to test efficacy of fruit washing process: o Treatments: existing system of; fruit graded, washed and chemical applied; flower end debris removed and cavity/fruit cleaned with rag after washing and during the packing process remove flower end cavity debris, trim and clean fruit at the grading stage and before the washing/treatment process Include a water-blast of the flower cavity if desirable and this may need to be a separate treatment No chlorine! as for treatment but rinse with chlorine For both treatments and there should be no further (need) cleaning following the machine wash You may also wish to evaluate the efficacy of the existing calcium treatment at this time?? Replicate as you wish, maybe X 10kg boxes of each treatment; have two boxes of each treatment at Hoang Hau and take two boxes of each back to SOFRI Remove from store and score for rots weekly and return to the coolstore Communicate SOFRI evaluation results to Hoang Hau and suggest they check their fruit in coolstore This can be the start of the fruit library* You decide on how long the evaluation continues! Take photos for subsequent training; especially if you find significant improvement * Fruit library: o For each shipment of dragon fruit being despatched hold a sample of boxes, taken at random through the packing process (number taken depends on the volume of the “lot” or consignment) o Hold the fruit in the library until the consignment of the sample has been sold plus a reasonable time for the fruit to have been consumed in the market place o Check the fruit prior to disposal and record defects – take photographic proof as appropriate Hoang Hau new packhouse: • Concern that hot water treatment proposed is not appropriate: it will be to hard to maintain uniformity of temperature to control the pest and making it impossible to meet/maintain phytosanitory compliance (Do not set the system up for failure!) • Is the system market driven? (For example: Is the system proposed the only treatment the Japan market will accept?) • Who is providing guidance for this development? • Dr Phong to pass on his skills, observations, Dr Allan Woolf’s recommendations, etc For example: disinfestation, coolchain, Hoang Hau Dragon fruit Farm sustainability discussion 24 August 09: Introduction: As the Hoang Hau packhouse is close to BRC Certification it is unlikely that the project leader will make another visit to the pilot packhouse Because of the likelihood of no further direct contact by the PL he discussed the future directions of the pilot, its requirements, management, and general obligations Present were: Mr Hiep, Ms Nam, Mr Hoang, Dr Phong, Mr Hieu and JC - the discussion included the following: Quality system ownership Hoang Hau (HH) must take ownership of the quality systems and progressively reduce reliance on the SOFRI dragon fruit quality team HH needs to work towards self reliance for all aspects of attaining certification to the standards and continuously maintaining the standards Technical support from the SOFRI team will continue to be provided pro-actively from both sides HH must ensure the actual operations on-farm, in the packhouse and in all other areas reflects what has been described in audited in the documented processes Note: Be aware of first impressions for customers, auditors and visitors Always maintain a tidy “shop window” for the operations! Human Resources The management and staff of HH have done a very good job, in conjunction with the SOFRI dragon fruit project team to date of implementing quality systems to the level of GlobalGAP on the farms and approaching BRC for the packhouse Too much reliance is being placed on Ms Nam as she has developed, implemented and managed the HH quality programme HH is vulnerable relying on one person for this responsibility and the business future needs will require greater depth of appropriate people to ensure the business and its quality systems operate at a sustainable and improving way The investment is certainly worthwhile and will be rewarded Responsibility for the supplier HH, even though it will produce at least 50% of the future throughput of the packhouse, must also look after its contracted suppliers If the contracted supplier does not get a fair deal then it will increase the chances of non-compliance during the subsequent stages of the supply chain Also refer to “Implementation of the Dragon fruit Grade Standards” below HH must treat the whole operation from production (whether its own or contracted grower production) through the packing and exporting operations to the ultimate customer with the teamwork approach No one component can work alone in isolation The requirement for traceability alone demands all work together! If teamwork and constant improvement is applied then waste can be reduced increasing profitability and create increased harmony at all levels of the supply chain Industry responsibility It needs to be repeated that ALL dragon fruit packers and exporters who are implementing quality at least to the GlobalGAP on farm packing option, approved USA supplier, BRC Global Food – Issue 5, supermarket standards level should unite their resources and build a strong dragon fruit industry Coordinate marketing at the “country” level to prevent buyers bargaining fruit prices downward (recommend the study of “single desk selling” and its advantages – NZ Zespri kiwifruit industry) Reject any association with operators who not comply with the market driven quality standards Self regulate the quality dragon fruit industry and ensure the integrity of the group is maintained – demand honesty and reject members who practice the inclusion of noncompliant/non-traceable fruit when sourcing sufficient compliant product to complete an order: an opportunity to access compliant fruit from a fellow quality operation! Vietnam horticulture, particularly in dragon fruit, is at a unique stage where it would be easy to influence the industry structure for the good of all key stakeholders Mr Hiep is in a unique position to assist in implementing the development of a very strong dragon fruit industry Project Grade Standards and their proposed use: Dr Phong has prepared the following Grade Standard categories: Maturity – a grade standard chart o Natural without chemical intervention o Bract colour o GA3 treated fruit Cosmetic – a grade standard chart o Stem condition o Flower end condition o Shape o Russet Defects chart – Identification chart of defects for training of farmers and packhouse staff Includes common pests, diseases, physical damage, cuts, splits and rots ©The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited (2010) This report is confidential to Report title Page The grade standard charts not determine whether a fruit is in grade or out of grade (this is the customer’s duty): each fruit has an identification number which increases with an increase in the defect The charts will be accompanied by a written description for each chart and will contain technical information of interest to key stakeholders Distribution and interpretation of the “Dragon fruit Grade Standards” The dragon fruit grade standards are a living document and will be periodically reviewed and updated by the SOFRI dragon fruit postharvest team SOFRI has the responsibility for the dragon fruit grade standards until such time as the “quality” dragon fruit industry can assume responsibility for it The standard will be set up within the SOFRI web site and be openly available Hard copies of the standards in the form of A3 colour charts and A4 descriptions will be distributed to every step in the supply chain (grower, packer and collector if compliant with the quality system especially with regard to traceability) It is expected that any market wishing to purchase dragon fruit from “quality” Vietnam growers, packers or exporters will access the web site standards and indicate to the supplier the quality parameters for the fruit they wish to purchase Upon receipt of the customer’s dragon fruit order and standards requirements the supplier will pass on the customers product specifications to the packer who will pass the requirements on to the contracted grower Each stakeholder in the supply chain will provide the product at the customer’s standard: • The grower will present dragon fruit to the packer that meets all standards of safe, legal and quality of the system (GlobalGAP) and meet the customers specific product requirements to least at the 80% level: Note: the earlier a problem can be removed from the process the less costly it will be! For example fruit with early russet or defect clearly out of grade while still on the plant should be removed (if a disease that could cause infection of other in-grade fruit in the field then the culled fruit should be removed and disposed of appropriately) • The packer will in turn handle, grade, pack and export the dragon fruit to the same standards and operate the postharvest handling operation within compliance with the certified standard of the facility (GlobalGAP on-farm packing option, BRC, Tesco’s, Marks and Spencer, Metro, etc.) ALL product will meet or exceed the expectations of the customer in every respect – documentation of proof of compliance will be generated, kept and made available for inspection when requested The customer’s specifications for the dragon fruit order must form the Quality Control process of the packhouse grading and packing operations at all times It is a good practice to maintain a line-up of sample fruit at “fruit quality decision” sites for reference by graders, packers, QC’s, etc (the sample should include all parameters and clearly define the in-grade/out of grade division) Dr Phong will expand the SOFRI grade standards website and hard copy chart distribution to include other horticultural crops of Vietnam 17 Appendix International Tropical Fruits Network Newsletter, article by Nguyen van Hoa ©The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited (2010) This report is confidential to Report title Page ... Extending export opportunities to small-plot dragon fruit growers through Good Agricultural Practices 0029/07VIE We the undersigned hereby declare that during the period 01/ 05/ 2009 to 31/10/2009... VIETnam Good Agricultural Practice Young Professional Research Management Specialist Institute Information Project Name Extending export opportunities to small-plot dragon fruit growers through Good. .. United Kingdom, Europe and the USA This project, ? ?Extending export opportunities to small-plot dragon fruit growers through good agricultural practices? ??, will complete the linkages with the high