Product Packaging Support

There are numerous small food-processing enterprises in the southern region of Senegal and the northern part of Guinea-Bissau. Women, many of whom support entire families, collaborate as a team in what is known locally as an “Economic Interest Group.” Each of these groups are made up of 10 to 20 women who produce dried mangos, coconut, and peppers as well as processed cashews, peanuts, herbs and grains.

Often these products are wasted away because of lack of proper packaging. Lack of good packing adds to waste and short shelf life. This makes it very difficult for these small processors to develop capacity in the marketplace and reduces the possible growth of employment in their respective regions.

The financial investment required to purchase a packing machine makes it nearly impossible for an individual or group to be able to obtain such an important resource.

In 2008-2009 LEAD purchased and made operational a high capacity packing system for cashew processors in southern Senegal. As a bi-product, LEAD provides this service at a reasonable price to other small processing businesses. This improves the salability of their product and can also help them produce for export, meeting international packaging standards.

This is a new program and is being met with great response from local producers and processors. The packaging system was presented to a regional conference in Kolda, where over 80% of all individual farmers-processors involved in dried fruits and nuts enterprises were present. The interest was enormous. LEAD International leads the way to help others help themselves economically.