Agro-Processing Workshop

(ZIZ Newsroom) — A Marketing Management Of Food Processing Commercialization workshop got underway on Monday to advise agro- processers on marketing strategies, new food processing techniques, branding and the commercialization of products.

Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Natasha Daniel said the federation’s import bill has been high due to limited resources and increased reliance on imported goods.

She said it is important to cut import expenses through ventures such as public private partnership.

“This holistic approach can be advantageous in that it can broaden local food processing services while adding value and quality to our own agricultural products. This can be enhanced through training, and by supporting the operation of commercial scale food processing facility with the ultimate goal of maximizing revenue in the tourism and agricultural sector,” she said.

Facilitator of the workshop, Taiwanese professor Ming-Chang Wu said each element of the commercialization process is important.

He said “In the processing we must be concerned about the quality and not just the branding quality and the packaging. Of course the food safety is very important for the consumer. Around the world, food safety is always concerned about from the farm to the table—in the raw material and in the distribution, in the processing, in the market—they must always be concerned about food safety.”

The workshop is being hosted by the Agro- Processing Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture And The Food Processing Commercialization Development Expert Dispatch Project.

It will continue on Thursday and Friday.