The event was organised by INADES-FORMATION in Abidjan, under the responsibility of Misereor and the Heinrich Böll Foundation. As an introduction to the spirit in which we were to conduct the work, the organisers submitted a document under the heading : Sound Trade – Sustainable Agriculture  - A multilateral framework for sustainable agricultural markets. This very interesting document is available in several languages, (i.e. French, English and Spanish) and on the web site www.ecofair-trade.org .

An overall presentation of regional trade, with its strengths and weaknesses, initiated the session. Everyone had an opportunity to give information on the farm subsidies in the home country. Mali gave an introduction to its new farm legislation, the Agricultural Guidance Bill. Its implementation opens up real development prospects for family farming.  Hence the organisations in Mali lean on this Bill in their demands for recognition of the farmer status, the possibility to obtain loans at a more convenie   nt interest rate … while  waiting for a real and actual farm policy.

The discussions were informative and interesting. However, it was the field visits that rallied full attendance. They were interesting, even fascinating, although they sometimes gave an insight into conditions very remote from fair trade and eco-friendly sustainable agriculture.

We first saw a poultry farm,  where chicken are raised for meat production. We then visited a second poultry establishment,  which supplies eggs to the local market.

The next stop was a hevea (para-rubber) plantation, where we were able to see the latex tapping process. The owner also showed his oil palm plantation and from there we went on to the processing unit to look at  the extraction of palm oil. There I learnt that palm oil is mainly  derived from the pulp of the palm fruit, which is easier to extract, and not so much from the kernels. Kernel oil is essentially used for cooking and increasingly  nowadays  geared to fuel production. It  is also used by the cosmetics industry.

Finally we were taken to a pineapple plantation and the sorting and packaging unit, from which the fruit is conditioned for export. These two-front visits were indeed impressive. There was  remarkable technical skill in the performance,  at the sorting and packaging  stage,   but also upstream, at the plantation level, where highly advanced techniques are applied. It is in fact possible to artificially trigger the flowering of the pineapple and therefore also to plan and adjust production to the rise and fall in customer demand. The technique is called floral induction treatment (FIT) and consists of the release of ethylene  at the core of the plant  to make it blossom . It is also referred to as hormone treatment. Once the plant has its flowers, it will start growing the fruit. It needs  about six mo   nths to become ripe for harvesting.

Again, we were impressed by the size of the plantation (148 hectares of pineapple plants, but not a single tree …) and by the know-how in both the production and marketing process. Somehow, somewhere it is a success. But for whom? And at what cost?

The agronomist in charge of supervising the plantation and the production told us that since a couple of years only one variety is grown, the MD2 (not a very poetical name !)  This particular brand comes from Costa Rica and is better suited to European customer tastes  and  enforced European standards. All small scale producers who grew the “Cayenne lisse” and who were not able to adapt have disappeared. A blow to bio-diversity!

At the selection stage we could see discarded fruit, pineapples that were either too small, too big or of ungainly shape. They were sold off to the local market at reduced rates, making up around 12 % of  total production. A bargain for the local population, a chance to benefit from  sub-standard fruit at a cheaper price. But for how long?

That night I had a dream (a nightmare !). We were in the year 2015. I once again met the agronomist who had showed us the plantation. He told me that there was now a new breeding technique for  shoots ( which grow out once the plant has flowered and which are used to sow the next generation of plants)  and another innovation which he insisted on keeping secret, so that the company exported its entire production. “We have  no more shoots. Too bad for the local population”. 

Still in the dream I found myself at a supermarket in Paris, in the fruit and vegetable store, where a batch of pineapple from Ivory Coast was on display. Pointing to the pineapple, the agronomist asked me: “What is that? I have never seen this fruit in Ivory Coast !”

At which point I woke up, continuing my thoughts:  Neither will  Europeans  have an opportunity  to taste this delicious fruit,  once they have their money from carbon trading and have planted their Jatropha (for bio-fuel) on all our land!



Koudougou, September 14th 2009
Maurice Oudet
Director, SEDELAN