Moringa PROMOSCO Togo Project

Historical context of Kinomé

PROSCOMO (Producers in Moringa Cooperative Society)  is a cooperative of 14 farmers created in 2021 and located in Togo in the village of Sévénokopé. It produces and transforms the leaves of the Moringa oleifera plant. The cooperative wishes to ensure a viable income for farmers by developing a sustainable agricultural economy. A partnership was created with the NGO Inades-Formation Togo and Kinomé to improve its production chain and its environmental and social impact. This partnership has provided financial and technical support since 2017 to achieve the objectives shared by the three actors.

Kinomé’s role

At the beginning of 202, a scaling-up project was proposed to the members of PROSCOMO who accepted it. This project is based on four development axes:

1. To certify the production of Moringa Oleifera and its processing into powder under organic and fair trade standards. Objective : to improve the social, economic and environmental added value of the activity;
2. To support the cooperative in its quality and traceability approach in order to meet international hygiene standards;
3. To develop the presence of PROSCOMO’s products on the national and international market;
4. To improve the production capacity of the business to meet future demands.

To achieve these objectives, Kinomé hired a volunteer in international solidarity to support the cooperative for one year on the different axes.

Kinomé also relies on the experience of another cooperative that also produces dried Moringa powder in Togo. This cooperative, APPEF in Tabligbo, was supported by Kinomé four years ago and currently produces dried Moringa powder sold on the local and international markets.

Results

After seven months of support, several successes can be cited:

• The creation of a dynamic team responsible for production and processing: the Moringa Unit Management Team (MUMT);
• A HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) diagnosis of the value chain;
• The implementation of a traceability procedure from the plot to the export;
• Consideration of supplying Togolese school canteens with Moringa powder at a cheap price;
• The creation of finished products with a high nutritional and organoleptic value: Le Chef Moringa;
• The training of the members of the office and EGUM in the administrative and financial management of a cooperative selling on the international market;
• The selection of plots of land that meet the standards of organic agriculture;
• Contact with the certification body Ecocert and the audit of PROSCOMO’s production activity in March 2022.

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Impacts and perspectives

In the near future, the cooperative will obtain its organic and fair trade certification under the respective EOS and NOP standards as well as Fair For Life gived by Ecocert.

Potential international markets have been identified. The supply of Moringa powder to school canteens continues.

Finally, the members of EGUM and PROSCOMO still need to be supported in their efforts to become independent in their production activities. When Kinomé and Inades-Formation are less present, the cooperative can manage the work alone.

However, the Kinomé / PROSCOMO partnership will never end. Our objective is to be always present at the side of those with whom we have worked.

A year has gone by and many achievements have been made! The future is promising for PROSCOMO!