El Salvador Vegetable and Fruit Growers Gain Market Access

Who:

CropLife International and CropLife Latin America have partnered with Acceso Oferta Local (AOL), a Clinton Foundation initiative; the supermarket chain Super Selectos (Calleja Group) and its corporate social responsibility program “Cultivando Oportunidades;” and the CuidAgro Program, executed by the Asociación de Proveedores Agrícolas.

What:

This partnership aims to strengthen the supply chain between small-holder farmers and 91 Super Selectos stores in El Salvador. It is enhancing the production and distribution of 42 domestically grown vegetables and fruits by providing training and certification in good agricultural practices (GAP), financial support and access to supermarkets.

Why:

In 2015, small-holder Salvadorean farmers produced 463,000 pounds (210 tons) of vegetables and fruits. But one of their main problems is being integrated into a fair agricultural chain – they need fair prices for their products, quick payments and improved transportation to supermarkets. They also need to certify their products to ensure better access to markets.

How:

• The CuidAgro Program trains growers of fruits, vegetables and grains in GAP and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and provides ongoing technical support to ensure that farmers can be certified by GlobalG.A.P.

• AOL supports financing, technical assistance and production chain logistics for farmers, associations and distributors to ensure product value, to protect producers from being underpaid or cheated by informal intermediaries and to search for new markets.

• Calleja Group, under Cultivando Oportunidades, has established a producer organization and collection centers where each farmer or group of farmers delivers products to technical staff who verify the quality of products, then prepare and pack them for sale to supermarkets.

What Next:

The first phase of the program, training in GAP and IPM, will soon be followed by technical support to vegetable and fruit growers. The goal is to support up to 1,300 Salvadorean farmers over the next three years so that they can be certified by GlobalG.A.P. to ensure market access.