Video

Interview

N&M: How long has ITFC been working with outgrowers such as yourself?
Ayishatu: ITFC has been supporting subsistence growers in the communities surrounding the nucleus farm with small-scale mango production since 2000. In the initial stages of the outgrowers scheme, ITFC was supporting seventy-five growers, with funds provided by the Dutch government. At the moment ITFC is assisting 1,400 growers with funds from numerous initiatives including the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). 

N&M: What exactly happens with the funding?
Ayishatu: ITFC supports the growers with a long-term, no interest loan in the form of inputs to be used only for farming one acre of organic mango. ITFC has a contractual agreement with the growers. The costs of the inputs are charged to the respective grower accounts and over a period of 5 years, the growers are responsible to pay back part of these expenses each year at the time of harvest. The grower will pay 30% of his income towards the total expenses owed.
The growers work in groups and each grower must provide one bag of maize as a registration fee and a sign of commitment. ITFC provides one assistant manager for every 400 growers and one field assistant for every forty growers. The assistant managers and field assistants provide the growers with the necessary advice and record keeping to successfully farm organic mangoes.

N&M: What is expected of the growers in return?
Ayishatu: It is the responsibility of the growers to provide labour on their farms such as digging, fencing, weeding and watering. ITFC provides the technical aspects of farming organic mangoes such as disease and pest control, pruning or shaping of the trees and water provision twice a week during the dry season. During the rainy season ITFC strongly encourages the growers to intercrop with ground nuts, not only as a cover crop to promote farm hygiene and for its nitrogen fixing benefits, but also as an intermediate income benefit to the grower. 

N&M: So what happens during harvest?
Ayishatu: Once the trees have reached maturity and they begin to fruit, ITFC will provide the growers with the technical assistance to harvest and transport the fruits to be packed in the company's packing station. ITFC consequently ensures the mangos are marketed according to clear arrangement between the company and the individual outgrowers.