CAP—PROJECT OVERVIEW

PFID—F&V's Market Access for Farmers Central America regional project has two principal objectives: to maximize market–led rural diversification and to stimulate both farm and non–farm income growth for small– and medium–sized firms and farmers, and to accomplish this through new business alliances and increased access to dynamic markets.

In support of these objectives, the project implements actions to improve the quantity, quality, and product safety of selected non–traditional agricultural products, principally fruits and vegetables, and their export sales. This PFID—F&V project will support actions to expand the base of private sector agri–food firms and farms in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua that can compete both regionally and globally. Activities will improve the linkages between small– and medium–sized producers to export markets and increase the gross value of exports of targeted fresh and processed non–traditional agricultural exports.

To spur rural income growth, agricultural production must not only meet domestic demand but it must achieve higher growth rates through exports. For the most part, the economies of the Central American countries still rely heavily on the agricultural sector as a source of employment and income generation. To maximize benefits form this important resource, PFID—F&V will assist Central American producers, associations, and governments in developing market intelligence, and facilitate linking of small producers to larger producers, exporters, and a variety of buyers, including food industry buyers within the producers' countries and in the region, as well as importers from key customer countries. PFID—F&V will also facilitate the building of alliances and brokering of deals, and assist farmers to meet quality standards of regional and international importers, thereby increasing the volume of high value and high quality fruit and vegetable sales.

In order to effectively seize market opportunities, compliance with Sanitary and Phyto–Sanitary (SPS) standards cannot be overlooked, especially in the area of food safety and pesticide residues. The Central America project will focus on those SPS standards of public, as well as private, nature to comply with buyers' requirements.

PFID—F&V expects to accomplish the following objectives during the implementation of this project:

The expected results for the two and a half year period of the Regional project are:

• Fifteen new long–term business deals/contracts made between partners within the Central America region and/or with partners outside the region.
• $15 million in sales accrued to the fifteen new long–term business deals/contracts made between partners within the Central America region or with partners outside the region.
• Facilitation of the resolution of sanitary and phyto–sanitary issues currently impeding increased fruit and vegetable produce exports via capacity–building and use of the full time services of a regional liaison for SPS.
• Market–intelligence diagnostics of food industry demand (supermarkets, food service, and processors) for at least 3 product categories per country for the five Central American countries.

For further information contact:

PFID—F&V Central America Regional Office
Richard Clark, Chief of Party
Tel: 011–502–2363–0638
E–mail: rlcpfid@intelnett.com
Website: http://msfinfo.com/