admin
Midlands Bureau Chief
FOLLOWING serious post-harvest losses at Mtapa Fresh Produce Market in Gweru, the Midlands State University (MSU) Enactus Club produced a number of innovative food products using over-ripe agricultural produce.
United Nations World Food Programme statistics show that despite the surge in global food production, one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted.
Post-harvest food loss is a leading cause of food insecurity for many people across the country.
For the Sustainable Development Goals’ ambitious target to achieve zero hunger by 2030 to be a reality, there should be no food lost or wasted.
Mtapa fresh produce market has more than 2 000 vendors who deal in tomatoes, cabbages, potatoes, onions and fruits which are perishable products.
Some of the products end up going bad before they are sold.
By decreasing post-harvest losses in food systems, MSU Enactus Club is contributing to food security and increasing the availability of food.
Founded in 2007, MSU Enactus Club is providing solutions for the products that go to waste when they go bad.
The members of the club go to the market to collect over ripe and bad products from which they make, for example, stockfeed.
MSU Enactus team leader, Mr Victor Green said the club is grateful to the MSU for providing a laboratory that contributed to the success of the project.
“Food losses happen at every stage of the food supply chain as commodities are damaged, spoiled or lost during harvesting, handling, processing and transportation. Every effort must be made to ensure that our farm produce is preserved so that waste and losses can be brought to a bare minimum in the food supply value chain from farm to the marker,” he said.
Mr Green said post-harvest losses have significant nutritional, health and financial impact on the country.
“The Enactus Club is now giving economic value to fruits and vegetables that vendors at the market would usually throw away. We produce products that have great value economically both locally and internationally. We also produce products that have a longer shelf life,” he said.
Enactus Club member Mr Michael White said the club consists of students from different faculties who came together and set an agenda of coming up with innovative solutions to community problems.
He said the key driver for the initiative is to mitigate post-harvest losses.
“These losses have been identified to be incurred mostly during harvesting, processing, packaging and transportation. Thus the vendors or farmers earn more from the produce through reduced losses as they manage to sell fresh fruits and vegetables and we buy the overripe fruits and vegetables which in the past they used to throw away, said Mr White.
He said the club was bridging the gap between the farmers and the consumers by ensuring 100 percent resource utilisation at every level.
“Statistics highlight that farmers incur post-harvest losses that amount to 40 percent of their farm produce from harvesting through to transportation. What we are therefore promoting is value addition and beneficiation. We are further promoting the increased intake of fruits and vegetables which boosts the immune system during this Covid- 19 pandemic in which we are living,” said Mr White.
He said the works of the club are aligned with national, regional and international development initiatives.
“Our innovative production is premised on the Zimbabwean Education Policy, Education 5.0 which promotes innovation and industrialisation. On a Regional level, our products promote the achievement of the African Union Agenda 2063, goal number 3 which promotes healthy and well-nourished citizens. Lastly on an International level, we address Sustainable Development Goal number 2 and 3 which zero in on hunger and promote good health and wellness, respectively,” he said.
The club is engaging the Intellectual Property Officer for Midlands to patent their products.
Mr Richard Moyo, the interim chairperson of the vendors association said they are happy that they are now getting value from products they used to throw away.
“We are happy that this MSU Club is coming with a unique way of adding value to our fruits and vegetables we used to throw away,” he said.
City of Gweru public relations officer Ms Vimbai Chingwaramusee said any actions leading to a cleaner working environment for the vendors is a welcome development.
“We want a clean environment at the vending sites including Mtapa and we commend such acts that are leading to a clean environment and at the same time creating job opportunities for the people,” she said.
Online Reporter