Supply chains under study on dairy, olive oil and green beans.
Description
UNIDO on the Trace Me Back Project:
Ever since the Pharaohs, Egypt has pioneered and perfected farming methods in the fertile Nile Valley. For more than five thousand years, the country was an important producer and exporter of various crops to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Today, the agro-industrial sector accounts for 20% of the country’s total exports, most of which are exported to the European Union (EU). Interestingly, and due to different harvest periods, Egyptian farmers are able to offer a wide range of produce without competing with farmers in European countries. However, because of their lack of traceability compliance and quality control systems, Egyptian exporters have been faced with trade barriers, which resulted from EU regulation on food safety and circulation. Thus, UNIDO’s assistance was requested by the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
UNIDO established the Egyptian Traceability Centre for Agro-Industrial exports (ETRACE), which was funded under an Italian-Egyptian Debt-for-Development Swap programme. Through financial and technical assistance, ETRACE aims at making Egyptian agro-industrial export safer, more competitive and compliant with stringent market standards and regulations.
The goal of the project is on Traceability of Food Products.
The objective of this traceability analysis is to strengthen innovation and research in Egypt through the implementation and adaptation of the Trace Me Back project by engaging Egyptian and European research center to exchange knowledge and experience and by engaging the Egyptian private sector with national research institutes on the other side to strengthen a demand driven research. The traceability analysis is funded by the EU Research, Development, and Innovation Development Fund (RDI).
Services
NSCE as lead partner has led the process of developing and implementing this project.
Approach
- Training of Agriculture Research Centre on new methods and approaches in traceability research with European institutes
- Coordination with local Egyptian partners and European Partners to implement Trace Me Back results in Egypt
- Supply chain analysis of Dairy, Olive Oil and Green Bens through field research
- Software localization for technology developed with Trace Me Back
Overall planning and project management
Project Activities
- Mapping of the three supply chains under study: Dairy, Olive oil and green beans.
- Customizing the traceability software and micro devices developed with the Trace Me Back project.
- Testing the technology in Egypt.
- Dissemination of project results.
- Training