Trained as an agricultural engineer in France and Sweden, for the past 20 years Souleymane has worked hard to develop the organic food market in Senegal, helping to establish a weekly market in Thiès and two organic restaurants that draw people from as far away as Dakar (over 1 hour drive). The Senegalese are well-known for their Teranga (which means hospitality in Wolof) and Souleymane has already invited us to dine at his restaurants! My legendary appetite awaits... as I eagerly anticipate conducting additional 'primary market research' in the outdoor markets and on the farms!
What happens today is AA works with roughly 150 farmers who year-round raise poultry, grow fruits (papayas, mangos, etc.) and vegetables (tomatoes, onions, etc.), or that grow rainy season products (millet) that are only available from July to October. These farmers have entered into a contractual relationship with AA, who provides organic methods and materials (e.g. seeds, fertilizer), picks up and distributes products, in exchange for profit-sharing.
Our challenge will be to help Souleymane and AA grow the percentage of farmers who are organic from somewhere between 2 and 7% to 25%, in order to meet the burgeoning demand for organic products throughout Senegal, where consumers are willing to pay a 10% premium on most products, and in some cases, up to 25% for organic mangos! (The mango is hands down the undisputed king of fruits across the globe and I'm looking forward to tasting some of those delicious organic Senegalese mangos, which currently are not exported. Now I'll probably be enjoying them in some French-inspired desserts, as the mango season ended in September, and my sweet tooth has absolutely no problems with that.)
The logistics of getting products to market and collecting payments appear be their biggest challenges, and the IBM team of Rajesh Agarwal (India), Nami Matsumoto (Japan) and myself are ready to consult and recommend solutions and approaches that will help AA expand their operations. We land in 2 weeks.
The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.
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