1 Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development 037/04VIE Developing Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) systems for dragon fruit producers and exporters in Binh Thuan and Tien Giang provinces Milestone Southern Fruit Research Institute (SOFRI) staff competent in GAP application and training June 2007 Campbell J The Horticulture and Food Research Institute of New Zealand Ltd HortResearch Nelson Region PO Box 220 Motueka 7143 NEW ZEALAND DISCLAIMER Unless agreed otherwise, HortResearch does not give any prediction, warranty or assurance in relation to the accuracy of or fitness for any particular use or application of, any information or scientific or other result contained in this report Neither HortResearch nor any of its employees shall be liable for any cost (including legal costs), claim, liability, loss, damage, injury or the like, which may be suffered or incurred as a direct or indirect result of the reliance by any person on any information contained in this report CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION A CADRE OF SOFRI, PPD AND OTHER PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL STAFF COMPETENT IN TRAINING AND APPLICATION OF GAP AND EUREPGAP METHODS AND PRINCIPLES Situation at the start of the project Training programme Current capability STAFF OF PPD AND EXTENSION STAFF IN BINH THUAN EVALUATED AS TO THEIR AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF GAP AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR APPLICATION BY SMALLHOLDERS Attempts for involvement Ongoing level of activity and understanding STRATEGY FOR APPLICATION OF GAP TO OTHER DRAGON FRUIT PRODUCERS OR OTHER FRUIT SECTORS DOCUMENTED AND TESTED Pilot development, quality and sustainability Pilot and project efficacy Access to the pilot as an outreach tool Delivery of the pilot model to other dragon fruit production areas 10 Benchmarking survey data 11 Manual development 11 End of project options 11 SOFRI company development 12 Vietnam quality initiative 13 FINAL DRAFT OF GAP/EUREPGAP MANUAL INCORPORATING FEEDBACK FROM TRAINING PROGRAMMES AND LESSONS LEARNT IN APPLICATION 14 Manual preparation 14 Translation of the document 14 Distribution 14 Copyright issues 14 Current manual status and future development and availability 15 APPENDIX 16 Specific training documentation table from Milestone #7 16 APPENDIX 19 Dragon fruit project environment Error! Bookmark not defined APPENDIX 19 So Tay San Xuat Trai Cay Theo Tieu Chuan Gap publication 19 APPENDIX 30 Dragon fruit quality manual cover and index 30 APPENDIX 35 BRC Copyright approval for the Dragon fruit Quality Manual 35 INTRODUCTION Much of the reporting requirements for Milestone have been included as part of the project’s regular six monthly reports and in the previous Milestone No.7 report The purpose of this report has been to briefly cover the Milestone No.8 bullet points and elaborate on those areas not previously reported on A CADRE OF SOFRI, PPD AND OTHER PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL STAFF COMPETENT IN TRAINING AND APPLICATION OF GAP AND EUREPGAP METHODS AND PRINCIPLES SITUATION AT THE START OF THE PROJECT At the start of the dragon fruit GAP project many SOFRI staff had a significant understanding of Good Agricultural Practice theory but very little experience in the practical application of quality systems With specific regard to the dragon fruit project, the combination of that lack of practical experience and a dearth of knowledge about dragon fruit production meant that SOFRI personnel were not confident/knowledgeable enough to undertake project responsibilities It was necessary for the project to overcome these constraints early, so training efforts concentrated on gaining acceptance of the project leader by the SOFRI project team, and enhancing their GAP and crop skills not only to implement the project but also to understand the GAP quality processes to a level that ensured project interventions would be completed and that they were sustainable at project end Figure Non-compliant on-the-floor packing Figure Compliant packing TRAINING PROGRAMME The training provided by the project firstly concentrated on the those SOFRI staff with the responsibility for implementing project initiatives and this was undertaken through strong mentoring and some presentations by the project leader during his periodic visits to Vietnam and intermittent communication and correspondence between visits The project leader also gave presentations to the wider SOFRI staff during his visits It has been extremely pleasing to note that the leadership provided at SOFRI by the director and Project Champion Dr Nguyen Minh Chau has created an excellent environment for the advancement of GAP quality capability in Vietnam horticulture, which has proved to be a great base in which to manage and deliver this dragon fruit GAP project It has been Dr Chau who has drawn the project leader outside the specific terms of reference of the Collaboration for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) project on many occasions, to ensure the maximum benefit was gained from the project Some of those extra activities include: • Presentations to SOFRI staff based on the project leader’s experience in quality systems (GAP) • Project updates • Formal presentation at the Can Tho International Agricultural Fair on GAP • Introduction to Internal Auditing: presentation of training course for SOFRI staff • Mentoring From the project leader’s perspective, there have been two very significant contributions during the project that have enhanced the development in capability and confidence of the national project team One was the implementation of the benchmarking survey, collection and processing of the data and the presentation of the findings to SOFRI personnel and back to the dragon fruit industry The knowledge gained during the benchmarking exercise enhanced the team’s understanding of the status of the commercial crop, production methods being applied and a realisation that they knew a great deal about the crop and could contribute very strongly to the support and improvement as intended during project intervention: Confidence gained! The second, and major, contribution to national capability enhancement was the undertaking of a study tour to New Zealand by Mr Nguyen Huu Hoang Ong Hoang’s study tour is detailed in the August 2006 project report The understanding from observing applied GAP/quality systems in a different environment, plus the formal training and confidence gained by Ong Hoang during the study tour has been immense It has been a delight for the project leader to observe how this knowledge is being delivered to all areas of the project, to other areas of his responsibilities at SOFRI, to other SOFRI staff and to those with other crop responsibilities Figure Packer management training Figure First Aid certificates for trained staff Figure Packer senior staff training Figure Packer/farmer linkage training Figure Farmer training CURRENT CAPABILITY The response to project training by the Vietnam project team at SOFRI has been fantastic The key Vietnamese project people of Dr Nguyen Minh Chau, Project Champion, Dr Nguyen Van Hoa, Project Leader and counterpart to the Project Leader, and Mr Nguyen Huu Hoang, Project Implementer, are leaders of the project initiatives that will ensure sustainability in the future All three have strongly supported the project and reports of the project exceeding expectations can be largely attributed to their efforts: • Dr Chau for his setting up of the overall quality initiative at SOFRI and his respect and influence across other Institutes, Government Departments and the private sector and for creating the environment for successful project management and delivery and infrastructure development • Dr Hoa for his leadership of the dragon fruit project, his role on the Agricultural Chemicals Board, his technical and technology transferring skills and his knowledge of the crop and the GAP project initiatives to the level of the customers’ demands • Ong Hoang for his thorough knowledge of the dragon fruit crop, his expertise, understanding and delivery of GAP, quality systems Ong Hoang fully understands the quality systems for horticulture, the standards as set by the customer; the practical application of those standards complete with documentation, auditing and improvement He is very skilful at delivering his considerable expertise to the horticulture industry in general and the dragon fruit project in particular in both Vietnamese and in English The training programmes of the project have developed over the two years of project delivery, from initially the project leader doing all the presentations in English to farmers/packers with translations, to a situation where the training is given in Vietnamese with the project leader providing a resource support role – very effective teamwork has developed! A table of project training was presented in the Milestone report and reproduced here as Appendix STAFF OF PPD AND EXTENSION STAFF IN BINH THUAN EVALUATED AS TO THEIR AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF GAP AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR APPLICATION BY SMALLHOLDERS ATTEMPTS FOR INVOLVEMENT At the commencement of project implementation, the team gave presentations to the senior and field personnel of Binh Thuan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) The presentations included an overview of the dragon fruit project scope, the proposed activities during the life of the project and an invitation for DARD staff to be closely involved with project implementation The project team highlighted the need for DARD personnel to contribute strongly to the project in the areas of farmer selection using local knowledge and to become proficient in GAP as being applied by the project to ensure sustainability following project completion Channels of communication between SOFRI and DARD in Binh Thuan were set up by the project team and prior to each visit to the province by the project leader a formal letter requesting permission for the visit has been sent to Local Government Through the visit permission request letter, DARD personnel are warned of the project activities in advance ONGOING LEVEL OF ACTIVITY AND UNDERSTANDING One person on the DARD staff was nominated as the liaison person between the project team and DARD The nominated person accompanied the project team on several occasions during the benchmarking survey, farmer selection for project input and for some of the training sessions However, it has been disappointing that DARD involvement to the level required by the project’s customer-driven quality standards has not reached expectations Private sector packers and farmers, through the receipt of project initiatives, have a far greater understanding of GAP and its application to the level of the customer-driven standards than the DARD extensionists STRATEGY FOR APPLICATION OF GAP TO OTHER DRAGON FRUIT PRODUCERS OR OTHER FRUIT SECTORS DOCUMENTED AND TESTED PILOT DEVELOPMENT, QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY As has been previously reported, the project has established a pilot group of exporter/packer and farmers to provide a working model, firstly to show the viability of GAP production of dragon fruit to high value markets and secondly to be able to demonstrate the commercial model to the wider dragon fruit production areas of Binh Thuan, to Tien Giang and also to other fruit crops Every effort has been made to establish the commercial model so that it is of a high standard that exceeds the quality levels required by the customer-driven quality standards, is sustainable through ongoing good management, has staff that completely “understand” their areas of responsibility, and can operate at a profit Figure High quality dragon fruit PILOT AND PROJECT EFFICACY Indications that the dragon fruit pilot has responded to the project’s intensive training programme to a level of achievement close to meeting the quality standards of British Retailers Consortium (BRC) and EUREPGAP include: • Product traceability, a major component of the quality system, from the farm through the packer and exporter to the market is clear and robust At any time, product identified in the market can be traced back through the supply chain to the farm, production block, date of harvest/packing/despatch and all associated documentation (e.g spray diary etc.) The packhouse administrator responsible for the development, operation and maintenance of the traceability system has a complete understanding of traceability requirements and importance and the system’s integration with the packhouse and quality system management • Farmer diaries are accurate and complete, signed off by the trained and certificated operator and are available to be evaluated by the appropriate authority to give clearance for product to be exported • Internal auditing of the pilot entities has developed from the formal training through to the practical application Formal Internal Auditing trained capability has been passed on to other stakeholders, greatly enhancing their understanding of quality systems and the customers’ needs • Word of the project aims, intentions and potential have reached high value export markets and enquiries for supply of dragon fruit that meet the selected standards are being received • TESCOs have already employed a third-party auditor to undertake an ethical audit of the pilot packhouse The audit report showed the packer to be close to the expected standards The packer implemented the recommendations for improvement immediately, with most being completed during the audit The third-party audit greatly assisted the project quality initiative, by demonstrating to the pilot leaders how seriously the standards are interpreted by high value markets such as TESCO Figure Farmer spray diary audit, improvement and training Figure 10 Farm documentation: e.g spray diary, fertiliser application records Figure 11 Farm location and planting maps Figure 12 Farm block identification ACCESS TO THE PILOT AS AN OUTREACH TOOL The project, in its negotiations during the dragon fruit project pilot establishment, has ensured that the commercial working pilot model will be available to be used as an extension tool when developing GAP systems to the wider dragon fruit industry and for other crop quality improvement A memorandum of understanding between the pilot packer and the Project Champion formalises this close association between the pilot and the project team It is intended that initially only the project team will be responsible for the outreach programme and interaction with the pilot However, as extensionists become proficient, they too will have access to the pilot Indeed, as more commercial units modelled on the pilot become certified, it is expected the burden of the outreach programme on the initial pilot will become less, especially when the initiative shifts to other regions/crops Figure 14 Compliant fertiliser storage Figure 13 Compliant agrichemical storage 10 Figure 15 Packhouse staff cloak room and Figure 16 Packer purchase order and protective clothing export presentation of product DELIVERY OF THE PILOT MODEL TO OTHER DRAGON FRUIT PRODUCTION AREAS Project delivery was intended for both the Binh Thuan and Tien Giang Provinces It was important for the project to establish the pilot to demonstrate viability and a working quality system model for replication As the pilot nears the standard that will achieve Certification by the selected Certifying Body, outreach activities are becoming more active Networking between the pilot and other dragon fruit farmers and packers has commenced, as have study tours by small groups visiting the pilot from Tien Giang It has been a high priority for the project to prepare both the pilot and key personnel to a high level, so that the effect of quality dilution during the replication process is minimised It is also believed by project personnel that industry control will be needed in the future, to avoid the quality momentum being damaged by insincere operators Figure 17 Transfer of quality farmer practices to other farmers Figure 18 New dragon fruit development 21 farmers and a packer/exporter to implement quality improvement It is anticipated that as soon as the ‘pilot’ meets the requirements of the selected quality standards, is Certificated and has an indication that the costs of compliance and product value from high value markets are economically viable, there will be no problem selecting and retaining the poor/small farmers This will be especially true if economical development and seasonal financial help are made available from financial institutions It must be stated that the pilot is the nucleus of a demonstration unit and no farmer wishing to join the pilot will be refused entry As the pilot expands, the project will encourage the establishment of new units of the model both in Binh Thuan and Tien Giang provinces The original selection of ‘pilot’ participants was based on the following criteria: • Be market driven (customer focused) • Be committed to quality management (show some improvement changes) • Have access to the resources to make improvements to their operation to the level required by the selected standard • A willingness to improve/change and implement the requirements of the standards • Accept training for themselves and all staff in their operation – demonstrate interest in staff welfare and development • Provide access to project generated data/information in their quality operations for project comparisons with the ‘prior to project’ intervention data • Be transparent and honest towards the standards • Allow the project to use the pilot during its outreach programme Quality system standards specifically tailored for and by the intended market were chosen and are being established by the project in the ‘pilot’ The standards being applied are the minimum requirements for fruit being exported to the European market Market importance The project is very market driven and every effort has been made by the project to develop robust quality systems within the pilot that operate to the highest levels of the selected standard to deliver safe, legal and quality products that meet or exceed the customer’s expectation The markets targeted by the project are the high value export market Markets can be defined as: High value export markets: – made possible through the British Retailers Consortium (BRC) Standard at the packhouse and appropriate packing, packaging and transportation • Direct access to elite markets • Restaurants • Specialist exotic fruit markets • Supermarkets that specialise in exotic/unique fruit • High quality high end supermarkets with controlled volumes, top quality expectations and high prices Commodity export markets – AsiaGap standards with downgraded fruit being packed in a secondary packhouse • Neighbouring countries 22 • Supermarket chains that deal in volume but lower price - national Local markets • All other fruit • Processing? Project emphasis for the pilot is to produce high quality fruit and pack that fruit in the BRC compliant packhouse for the high value markets only Fruit packaging will be to the customer’s requirements and will possibly involve blister pack, retail display trays, bulk packs, etc direct to the customer and not be exposed to any rework in the country of destination It needs to be strongly noted that the project emphasis is to access high value markets continually to generate higher incomes for poor/small farmers The ability to access these high value markets to generate maximum returns for the farmers relies on three very important major components: Dragon fruit being exported to these markets meets the customers’ standards for safety, legality and of the appropriate quality in all aspects The processes from the farm through the packer and exporter to the customer are undertaken by business operations that are dedicated to producing and delivering product to the customer that meets or exceeds the customers’ expectations That the business operations of the farmer, packer, and exporter are viable and sustainable To address each of the three components consistently, stakeholders need to cooperate and work with a common goal to: • Maintain certification and operate in confirmed conformity with all the standards at all times • Only target the high end of the market Because dragon fruit is a short shelf life product and must be exported by airfreight, there is a high inherent cost for each unit of produce being exported Profitability will only be maintained if maximum prices are realised at all times – low quality product means low prices are realised and the product has a short shelf life, rapidly deteriorating quality with product rework and legal/disposal potential • Constantly improve quality, customer satisfaction, processes and operations and systematically reduce waste The earlier a potential problem is removed from the process, the lower the cost 23 Quality systems development The project quality development process The quality system development process that the project has followed has the following steps: Benchmark the current practices at the commencement of the project to define the operating standards on the farm compared with those of the EUREPGAP standards Plan the scope and methodology for implementing the quality systems to achieve the project objectives Identify a ‘Pilot’ of a group of farmers, a packer and an exporter, to be used by the project for subsequent development and demonstration Decide on the appropriate quality standards for the project to implement in the pilot quality systems Access the standards Define the process from the farm through the packer and exporter to the customer Identify all the individual stages in the process Prepare a dragon fruit quality manual, based on the selected standards that are appropriate for the ‘process’ (The dragon fruit quality manual describes the manner in which the process will be achieved to conform to the standards) Improve the physical aspects of the project pilot processes so that conformity with the standards can be achieved and maintained 10 Train personnel in their selected positions and responsibilities so they ‘understand’ their role to maintain conformity with the standards and have the capacity to undertake other duties in cases of absenteeism in associated positions 11 Operate with the processes in conformity under operational conditions 12 Check the processes are operating in conformity by internally auditing individual parts or all of the process 13 Confirm conformity through full internal auditing 14 Arrange for an approved Certifying Body to undertake an external audit for the process against the selected standards and Certificate the process Choice of quality system standards EUREPGAP at the farmer level and BRC at the packer level were chosen for project implementation as both are very similar and compatible standards and are the minimum requirements for market access to the high value markets of Europe Management of the quality systems of the project pilot has been embedded in the packhouse under the control of the Quality Manager There are many advantages from having the quality system managed by the packhouse They include: • The packer is market driven and can provide the vision, leadership and motivation to develop and maintain the full quality system so that it conforms with the standards at all times • The packer can provide coordination of the quality systems from the field to the customer 24 • The packhouse requires a strong quality management system to meet the standards and these include many on-farm functions • The packhouse quality manager can assist farmers’ quality obligations in areas where they are deficient • Distribution of technical information to the farmers is possible in an accurate and systematic way so all farmers are coordinated in their management and quality approach • The operation is of a size that gives it the capability of contracting out to specialists for problem solving • Bulk purchasing of consumables at discounted prices • Provision of internal audit services at the packhouse and on the farm to enhance uniform operating standards and to ensure corrective action for non-conformities is undertaken and closed off • Costs of compliance are less to implement and manage with the quality system being managed at the packhouse and those costs can be spread over a large throughput of fruit on a per carton basis Quality manual The philosophy of the project in developing the quality manual has been to develop a document that is user friendly, appropriate to the operation, closely follows the sequence of the individual standards and requirements of the selected standards and can be used as a training tool for stakeholders The Dragon fruit Quality Manual has three main sections: • Exporter section – The pilot packer is also an exporter so the manuals exporter section is small because most requirements are included in the packer section Much of the exporter component is also outside the scope of the project • Packer section – The packer section has been developed around the packhouse operations and follows the format and requirements of the BRC Global – Food Standard • Farmer section – The farmer section has been developed around good agricultural practice for farm operations and follows the format and requirements of the EUREPGAP Standard The manual also includes a reference section, which contains: • Definitions • Protocols • Plan samples • Position descriptions • Documentation generic samples • Linkages to sites of information, requirements, etc • Dragon fruit register The dragon fruit quality manual is appropriate as part of a robust quality system In total it appears complex, but by addressing each component of the standard/manual separately it can be easy to implement the quality system 25 The manual developed by the project is the final copy However, it must be appreciated that the manual is a living document and will continually undergo change in the project pilot as part of the continuous improvement processes being implemented, or when being adapted to other dragon fruit operations, and when being applied to other horticultural crops The project developed dragon fruit quality manual has been prepared in a way so that it can be applied to other farms and packhouses, whether for dragon fruit or other fruit crops There is no doubt that a motivated packer or farmer could acquire the manual and implement the quality system to the standards required without assistance However, it is recommended that the experience of the project-trained personnel be sought There is a drive in the South East Asia Region to implement standards for horticulture production, for example AseanGAP The requirements of the AseanGAP Standards, while not as comprehensive as the BRC and EUREPGAP Standards, are comparable/compatible in many areas For this reason it is possible to lift the relevant sections in the dragon fruit quality manual for use in the application of the AseanGAP Standard The advantages of doing this are to standardise the quality systems being applied, to provide an excellent introduction into high quality horticultural production and form a strong quality system platform for those wishing subsequently to raise their standards to the higher level Physical preparation Once the quality standards are accepted and the manual (the blueprint/plan for the process) prepared, the physical improvement of the process needs to be implemented so that the process operates as described in the manual and so that each segment of the process meets or exceeds the requirement of the standard It cannot be emphasised enough that all physical improvements are to be completed to a high standard that addresses every item in the manual The physical appearance of the operation is the ‘window’ for the owner to show that the operation fully embraces quality and it also indicates to the auditor that the quality of the processes is being taken seriously Documentation Documentation for the dragon fruit project pilot meets the requirements of the standards being applied Some generic samples of the documentation are included in the dragon fruit quality manual, while much of the documentation has been developed from the existing packhouse documentation and is confidential to the packer because of the sensitivity of the information, such as employment contracts Conformity with documentation requirements is of paramount importance and is a major tool by which the process is measured Accurate documentation of the process has three major functions, which are: For the operation owner to confirm to the customer that all processes conform to the standards at all times This ensures that the customer can have confidence that the product they are purchasing is safe, legal and of the required quality It also confirms to the operator that the processes are “in control” For the protection of the operation owner: If the product supplied has been processed in documented conformity to all the standards and to the customer’s specifications and has subsequently arrived at the customer with a problem, then it can be defended that the problem occurred outside the scope of the operation For example: poor temperature control by the freight company damaging fruit or reducing shelf life legal compensation claims can target the correct nonconformity offender 26 Collection of data generated from documentation processes, when analysed, assists management to make management and improvement decisions for the operation that are based on fact Training Training of people involved in the project has been an evolutionary process At the start of the project, there was only a small appreciation and knowledge of horticulture quality systems Every effort has been made by the project to up-skill, firstly the SOFRI project team, and also other SOFRI staff, the personnel of the pilot packhouse and supplying farmers, and other farmer groups No restrictions have been imposed on the numbers of people wishing to be upskilled; indeed, many of the training sessions have been impromptu meetings Training of key project personnel has been intensive and is resulting in confident and competent personnel with excellent quality skills to continue the quality improvement programme of Vietnam’s horticulture in a sustainable way The emphasis has been a combination of hands-on practical application, the buddy system, mentoring, and formal training courses and has included modern management, time management, project and people management as well as the quality system training The secondary stage, that of training the project pilot personnel, is now being delivered by a confident and competent trained SOFRI team Shifting the skills learned out to the wider dragon fruit industry and to other crops is also taking place Every care has been taken by the project to develop people at all levels, so they have an understanding of the particular subject, are self motivated to interpret the standards and requirements of them and undertake their duties in an inspired, calm, transparent, and honest manner Internal auditing, corrective action Internal Auditing is the key to maintaining a healthy, growing and continually improving management system All areas of non-conformity of the operation are identified through Internal Auditing Non-conformances indicate where a system is found either not working properly as documented or lacking in some requirement area of the relevant standards Full New Zealand Organisation for Quality Internal Auditor training has been provided by the project to one of the SOFRI project leaders and subsequent Introduction to Internal Auditing training courses have been presented in the pilot and to SOFRI staff It is proposed to present the full Internal Auditor training courses at a later date The New Zealand trained SOFRI auditor will conduct the initial audits of the project pilot while transferring his skills to relevant pilot personnel Internal Auditing of the project pilot is an evidence-based approach carried out by an independent person who will apply the auditing principles received during training Nonconformities occurring in the pilot and their causes will be identified and documented during the Internal Audits and corrective action implemented External auditing and Certification The quality standards chosen for the project and the pilot demand that the quality system be customer focused To ensure conformity of the pilot to the customer’s satisfaction, it is necessary to undertake a Certification Audit conducted by an independent and internationally accredited Certification Body SGS Vietnam Ltd is an internationally accredited Certification Body with trained and approved auditors for both EUREPGAP and BRC standards 27 The project will employ SGS to undertake the audit and Certification of the pilot at the appropriate time Maintenance and improvement The development of the project pilot has been made in a systematic and sustainable way The project has concentrated on the development of people’s understanding of quality system requirements for the horticulture industry Effort has focused on the commercial sector to ensure business skills are present, that there is a commitment to quality system development, resources are available for change and improvement and the operator is in the business for the long haul The project has implemented a quality system that is of a very high standard, and has an inherent checking and improvement component that continually relates to the standards and the customer’s requirements Every effort has been made by the project to provide the pilot participants with the skills and knowledge to manage a sustainable quality operation that continually delivers safe, legal and quality product that meets or exceeds the customer’s expectations Discussion Collectors During the Benchmarking Survey it was identified and confirmed that a high percentage of small and poor farmers relied heavily on the collector to purchase their dragon fruit Farmer lots of fruit collected by the collector are mixed, with all trace of its place of origin destroyed Traceability of product is a major requirement of both of the quality standards of the project initiative All fruit being presented to the customer must be able to be traced right back to the farm and individual block it originated To implement the project and conform to the quality standards in the pilot, it has been necessary either to have fruit collected by the packer or delivered by the farmer The decision by the project not to use collectors was based on keeping the pilot simple and to reduce the risk of non-compliance It is, in the future, the intention to write a protocol by which the collector can operate, so traceability can be assured There are significant problems with the collector system from small farms in relation to complying with the standards and these relate mainly to the size of consignments of a particular quality of fruit Fruit of similar quality from several farms can be in the same basket or crate with no traceability Small consignments of fruit are also a problem for the packhouse processes to handle It has not been the intention of the project to cause any potential damage to any sector of the existing dragon fruit industry; however, implementing change for improvement invariably has a down side, which can cause problems for other sectors The reliance by the small and poor dragon fruit farmer on early cash flow, through purchase of the crop in the field, cash advance or by having the crop harvested by the collector has been noted by the project team Resourcing change The role of the collectors in their provision of cash flow is very important to the small or poor farmer and is a constraint to those farmers wishing to elevate themselves from basic production of dragon fruit, to producing in conformity with the standards as part of quality operation 28 To break the cycle of reliance on the collector, it will be necessary to give those farmers access to seasonal and developmental finance If and when this issue is addressed, consideration must also be given to providing small business management training Trainers of trainers It is a requirement of the standards adopted by the project that training of personnel in specific areas critical to the operation meet conformity and are undertaken by suitably trained and approved trainers Every effort has been made by the project to deliver independent and certified training to pilot personnel that meet the expectations of the standards, for example, as has been reported, a New Zealand Organisation for Quality trained Internal Auditor, Safe use of agrichemicals for farmers training by SOFRI experts, etc However, in Vietnam, there is no authority yet to evaluate trainers who train trainers and provide them with accreditation For the long term sustainability of a quality industry, these issues will need to be addressed Translations Almost all the material used and generated by the dragon fruit project has been written in English Translation of project material has been done by the SOFRI project team This has been a time consuming task However, the translation process has given the translators a much deeper and more meaningful understanding and appreciation of the quality systems and their development Replication to the wider dragon fruit industry and other crops As discussed previously, there are many advantages in using the people, horticultural quality system skills, the quality manual and other areas developed during the project implementation for transfer to the wider dragon fruit industry and to other fruit crops The donor for the project is very much in favour of using the project outcomes for the good of the crops of Vietnam’s horticulture industry All project-generated material is freely available Infrastructure development Quality horticultural production to the standards of BRC and EUREPGAP is a new phenomenon in Vietnam and because of this there are industry infrastructure areas that require enhancing or establishing In the short term, the project has used people and facilities of an acceptable standard to meet the requirements of BRC and EUREPGAP, but in the long term, these arrangements need to be established at the appropriate level, operating to approved standards, to sustain the emerging quality industry Infrastructure areas needed include: • A national register for dragon fruit producers (there may come a time when the industry will need to be controlled/licensed) • Development of a coordinated dragon fruit industry (now Vietnam is embarking on quality production for high value markets for dragon fruit, it is an opportune time to have all exporters selling through a single office, to negotiate the highest prices for their product possible and to prevent customers playing exporters off against each other and driving the product price down) • There is the potential to develop national branding for dragon fruit • Approved laboratories for water, soil and leaf analysis and for the interpretation of the results and distribution of appropriate recommendations for farmers • Independent accredited trainers of trainers for: Internal Auditing, Safe use of Agrichemicals, Quality Assurance, First Aid, Health and Safety, etc 29 • Independent spray diary/record analysis relating to approved chemical applications and observed withholding periods and clearance to harvest • Soil maps for production areas • Communication John Campbell Nguyen Huu Hoang HortResearch Southern Fruit Research Institute (SOFRI) P O Box 220 P O Box 203 Motueka My Tho, Tien Giang New Zealand Viet Nam Email: jcampbell@hortresearch.co.nz Email: hoangsofri@yahoo.com www.hortresearch.co.nz 30 APPENDIX DRAGON FRUIT QUALITY MANUAL COVER AND INDEX 31 SECTION A – THE EXPORTER Project Scope The GAP Project Pilot Prgramme Product compliance with the standards SECTION B – THE PACKER HACCP System Quality Management System 2.1 Quality Management System – General Requirements 2.2 Packer Quality Policy Statement 2.3 Quality Manual 2.4 Organisational Structure, Responsibility and Management Authority 2.5 Management Commitment 2.6 Customer Focus 2.7 Management Review 2.8 Resource Management 2.9 Internal Audit 2.10 Purchasing 2.11 General Documentation Requirements 2.12 Corrective Action 2.13 Traceability 2.14 Management of Incidents, Product Withdrawal and Product Recall 2.15 Complaint Handling Factor Environment Standards 3.1 External Environmental Standards 3.2 Internal Environmental Standards 3.3 Services 3.4 Equipment 3.5 Maintenance 3.6 Staff Facilities 3.7 Physical and Chemical Product Contamination Risk 3.8 Housekeeping and Hygiene 3.9 Waste/Water Disposal 3.10 Pest Control 3.11 Transport Product Control 4.1 Product Design/Development 4.2 Handling Requirements for Specific Materials 4.3 Metal Detection/Foreign Body Detection 4.4 Product Packaging 4.5 Product Inspection and Analysis 4.6 Stock Rotation 4.7 Product Release 4.8 Control of Non-conforming Product Process Control 5.1 Control of Operations 5.2 Quantity Control 5.3 Calibration and Control of Measuring and Monitoring Devices 32 Personnel Training – Raw Material Handling, Preparation, Processing, Packing and Storage Areas 6.2 Personal Hygiene – Raw Material Handling, Preparation, Processing, Packing and Storage Areas 6.3 Medical Screening 6.4 Protection Clothing – Food Handler and Others Working in or Visiting Food – Handling Areas Records Grower Register 6.1 SECTION C – THE FARMER Traceability Record Keeping 2.1 Farmer Records Varieties and Rootstocks 3.1 Choice of Rootstock 3.2 Seed Rootstock Quality 3.3 Pest and Disease Resistance 3.4 Seed Treatments and Dressings 3.5 Propagation Material 3.6 Genetically Modified Organisms Site History and Management 4.1 Site History 4.2 Site Management Soil and Substrate Management 5.1 Soil Mapping 5.2 Cultivation 5.3 Soil Erosion 5.4 Soil Fumigation 5.5 Substrates Fertiliser Usage 6.1 Advice on Quality and Type of Fertiliser 6.2 Records of Application 6.3 Application Machinery 6.4 Fertiliser Storage 6.5 Organic Fertiliser 6.6 Inorganic Fertiliser Irrigation/Fertigation 7.1 Predicting Irrigation Requirements 7.2 Irrigation/Fertigation Methods 7.3 Quality of Irrigation Water 7.4 Supply of Irrigation/Fertigation Water Crop Protection 8.1 Basic Elements of Crop Protection 8.2 Choice of Chemicals 8.3 Records of Application 8.4 Pre-Harvest Intervals 8.5 Application Equipment 33 8.6 Disposal of Surplus Spray Mix 8.7 Crop Protection Product Residue Analysis 8.8 Crop Protection Product Storage and Handling 8.9 Empty Crop Protection Product Containers 8.10 Obsolete Crop Protection Products Harvesting 9.1 Hygiene 9.2 Packaging/Harvesting Containers on Farm 9.3 Product packed at point of harvest 10 Postharvest Treatments 10.1 Hygiene 10.2 Postharvest washing 10.3 Postharvest Treatments 10.4 On-farm Facility for Produce Handling and/or Storage 11 Water and Pollution Management 11.1 Identification of Waste and Pollutants 11.2 Waste and Pollution Action Plan 12 Worker Health and Safety 12.1 Risk assessments 12.2 Training 12.3 Facilities, Equipment and Accident Procedures 12.4 Crop Protection Product Handling 12.5 Protective Clothing/Equipment 12.6 Welfare 12.7 Visitors 13 Environmental Issues 13.1 Impact of Farming on the Environment 13.2 Wildlife and Conservation Policy 13.3 Unproductive Sites 14 Complaint Forms 15 Internal Audit REFERENCE PAGES Generic Reference Pages 1.1 Dragon Fruit Farm Register 1.2 Dragon fruit product cycle 1.3 References related to Dragon fruit GAP production and packing 1.4 Farmer/Packer Supply Contract 1.5 Schedule of costs Exporter Reference Pages Packer Reference Pages 3.1 Packhouse basket/crate docket 3.2 Process basket/crate check 3.3 Baskets/crates unloaded onto grading conveyor 3.4 Packer Purchasing Policy and Supplier Approval 3.5 Packer Quality Policy Statement 3.6 Quality Management System Policy Statement 3.7 Scope of Quality management System 3.8 Packer Harvesting Container Policy 3.9 Packer Knife & Scissor Policy 34 3.10 NewEmployee Procedure 3.11 Personnel, Visitors and Contractors 3.12 Maintenance Policy 3.13 Rodent Bait Station Map 3.14 Watch Policy 3.15 Quality sampling systems protocol for Dragon fruit 3.16 The Packhouse Management Team Terms of Reference 3.17 Position Descriptions List/File 3.18 Position Description Template 3.19.1 Position Description #1 – Packhouse Manager 3.19.2 Position Description #2 – HACCP Manager 3.19.3 Position Description #3 – Internal Auditor 3.19.4 Position Description #4 – Quality Assurance Manager 3.19.5 Position Description #5 – Quality Controller 3.19.6 Position Description #6 – Marketing Manager 3.19.7 Position Description #7 – Administration Officer 3.19.8 Position Description #8 – Administration Assistant 3.19.9 Position Description #9 – Fruit Receipts 3.19.10 Position Description #10 – Fruit Marshaller 3.19.11 Position Description #11 – Fruit Loader 3.19.12 Position Description #12 – Grader 3.19.13 Position Description #13 – Machine Operator 3.19.14 Position Description #14 – Check Grader 3.19.15 Position Description #15 – Crate Loader 3.19.16 Position Description #16 – Packer 3.19.17 Position Description #17 – Stacker 3.19.18 Position Description #18 – Transport Supervisor 3.19.19 Position Description #19 – Transporter 3.19.20 Position Description #20 – Transport Loader 3.19.21 Position Description #21 – Cleaner 3.19.22 Position Description #22 – Packaging Office 3.19.23 Position Description #23 – Packaging Assistant Farmer Reference Pages DEFINITIONS 35 APPENDIX BRC COPYRIGHT MANUAL APPROVAL FOR THE DRAGON FRUIT QUALITY BRC Global Standards - Food will be applied to packer/exporter: • Accredited certification bodies evaluate companies to confirm conformity of product with the specified requirements laid down within the BRC Technical Standards • Evaluation by the certification bodies will be carried out at a specified frequency to demonstrate the continued conformity of the certified product within the required standard BRC copyright approval was given provided that the purchase of the BRC Global Standard – Food is made for each packhouse This Dragon fruit manual is to be used in accordance with the CARD copyright requirements The implementation of this manual must be delivered by suitably qualified personnel Only those certification bodies who have accreditation to ISO/IEC Guide 65 with a scope, which includes meeting the requirements of the standard (or actively seeking accreditation to ISO/IEC Guide 65), shall carry out evaluations against a BRC Standard and issue appropriate certificates ... published in the accompanying book Quality Systems for Good Agricultural Practice of Dragon fruit Production, Packing and Export A case study of the project: Developing GAP systems for dragon fruit producers. .. producers and exporters in Binh Thuan and Tien Giang provinces of Viet Nam” as a case study The project, administered by Hassall and Associates International (HAI) is being implemented jointly by... producers and exporters in Binh Thuan and Tien Giang provinces – Viet Nam John M Campbell & Nguyen Huu Hoang December 2006 ******************************** Introduction Dragon fruit is an important and