TRYNESS MBALE, Lusaka
THE International Trade Centre (ITC) and Parodi Group have partnered to boost the quality and production of Zambian honey to increase exports.
Parodi Group is an Argentina-based honey producer and trader, and through the partnership will provide advice and technical assistance to Zambian bee-keepers free of charge.
ITC deputy executive director Dorothy Tembo said the goal of the collaboration is not only to move Zambian honey producers up the value chain through improved quality but to integrate producers into Parodi’s global distribution network.
Ms Tembo said in a statement availed to the Daily Mail yesterday that if the project is successful it will be replicated in Tanzania.
“Launching this partnership between ITC and Parodi is only the first step in what we hope will be a long-term relationship that overcomes geographic boundaries. We aim to create a gateway to international markets for African honey producers,” she said.
She said ITC and its local partners will select companies as well as beekeepers to work with to receive training from the centre and Matrunita Mediterranea, Parodi’s Italy-based subsidiary.
The collaboration is part of ITC’s Promoting Intra-regional Trade in Eastern Africa project, which aims to step up co-operation between smaller and larger private-sector enterprises to achieve sustainable development.
Ms Tembo said working with Parodi will allow ITC ensure more people move out of poverty.
Commenting on the development, Parodi Group chief operating officer and sole administrator of Matrunita Mediterranea Santiago Herrero said, “Selling honey is about telling stories, and I think together with ITC, we will be able to amplify the voice of all the farmers and bee-keepers to tell their story to the customers. Trade can empower and create a better life for them”.