Fintrac Harvest Summer 2009

Fintrac promotes sustainable supply chains at Indonesia conference

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Industry experts from around the world shared best practices with Indonesian executives at the 2009 Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chain Conference in March. Senior decision-makers representing the fruit and vegetable, coffee, palm oil, cocoa, meat, poultry and processed foods sectors participated in the two-day event, which was designed and implemented by Fintrac on behalf of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and AusAID.

The overarching theme – that environmental and social responsibility are increasingly integral to commercial competitiveness and profitability – was emphasized by suppliers to Dole, Chiquita, Carrefour, Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Nestlé, Zespri, and the Body Shop. Discussions focused on supply chain financing, the integration of smallholders into domestic and international supply chains and how best to move toward compliance with increasingly stringent standards and protocols.

Recommendations centered on improvement of extension services, expansion of credit, establishment of environment and sustainability programs, and the importance of better public and private sector dialogue and coordination. Speakers included Fintrac executives Claire Starkey, Andy Medlicott and Steve New, and Fintrac partners Hasit Shah, managing director for Sunripe, and Nigel Garbutt, chairman of GLOBALGAP.