Particpants in the course visited lower North Island farms and processing facilities including Massey Farms.
Visits to New Zealand farms, processors and exporters including Fonterra and smaller entrepreneurial ventures were on the menu for government officials and managers from Southeast Asian countries, as part of a Massey food and agribusiness value chains programme held recently.
Led by the Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University's School of Agriculture and Environment and coordinated by Te Tumu Whakatipu, the programme investigates concepts and practices of value chain mapping, allowing participants to observe best practices and gain practical knowledge they can use for their own country's specific needs. Funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) cohorts include representatives from Philippines, Laos, Timor Leste, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Associate Professor Ramilan Thiagarajah, who is the academic lead of the course, says participants appreciated both the content and visits, learning best practice they can apply to their own countries specific needs.
“Massey has world-class leading agribusiness and value chain expertise and we are thrilled that through this course, we can bring international cohorts to New Zealand to visit industry players and see real-life examples of food and agribusiness value chain management in practice.”
The programme has been run since 2017 and helped to build a capacity of more than 180 stakeholders from 10 cohorts. This year saw it expand to welcome two cohorts with nearly 40 participants in total from ASEAN countries. Developed by Professor Nicola Shadbolt and Dr Thiagarajah, the course consists of class activities enabling interactions and communications among participants, as well as visits to local farms and processing facilities providing firsthand insight into the various stages of production and distribution.
Head of Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation Wei Shuan Kimberly Tan says, “We enjoyed our visit to the region's agrifood gems - small businesses with big hearts, like Texas BBQ Foods, Naki Mānuka Honey, Little Liberty Creamery, Roebuck Farm, Marcels Pancakes and Juno Gin, who are shaping the local food scene with passion and dedication."
Another Food and Agribusiness Value Chains programme with two cohorts taking part is planned to be run in 2025.
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