First Impressions & a first look at The Extended Shelf Life for Broccoli by BrimaPack & the Grape De-Stemming Machine made by ZTI Mechatronics BV both from the Netherlands

First Impressions of the two innovations I have seen namely the Extended Shelf Life for Broccoli by BrimaPack from the Netherlands is that although it greatly extends shelf life which is a challenge that small farmers and other producers routinely face in the ACP countries .The one great drawback is that it is very expensive and would not be a sustainable option for our farmers.  The extended shelf life packaging works by  creating a special natural atmosphere inside the packaging film without chemicals or gases. It is a combination of the NicePack System (Tight packing film with a seal on the butt ) and  the efficiency of a machine. A single unit can clean and pack up to 17 items per minute the company claims. One person can then operate two units maximizing the amount packaged at one time The new film increases the shelf life of broccoli and other brassicas such as cauliflower and cabbage by at least 5-8 days at a temperature of 18 Degrees Centigrade.

.The next Innovation  that we checked out was the Grape De-Stemming Machine made by ZTI Mechatronics BV, Netherlands which according to the company is the first machine to remove grapes neatly from the stalks in a rolling motion without damaging the fruit .They also claim output is five times higher per person than manual operations with processing speed being 240 KG per hour.The verdict on this machinery is that although the processing speed seems much faster it cuts out the human development aspect of the work and it also is not suitable for the pacific or Caribbean region because the technology is too expensive and not suitable for the market.

After looking around for quite some time I realized that as they say the third time is a CHARM the third innovation hidden in plain sight comes  from an Italian company called Turoni which make Quality Assurance Meters, weather monitoring equipment,soil and water analysis equipment to name a few which are innovations that ACP farmers could find very useful because they are easy to use ,relatively cheaper than the other innovations on show at Fruit Logistica and they can also be shipped internationally more cheaply.  I will do a full blog post with other products useful for ACP farmers that this company makes in more detail as I go on the hunt for the rest of the nominees booths to check out their innovations and if they can be adapted and used to benefit COLEACP Farmers!!