黑料网911

Mobile processing equipment adapted to seasonal harvests

Due to the lack of storage, processing or logistics facilities resulting from the distance between production areas and sales markets, significant losses are recorded after the harvest of plant products. This places farmers and the women who often handle product sales or processing in financial difficulty.

The mobile processing units were designed to add value to fruits and vegetables in the form of purées and juices, directly within agricultural areas. The equipment is assembled in a turnkey mobile container that enables the processing and stabilization of a wide variety of agricultural products as well as their vacuum packaging. These units can move across different plots, taking into account crop diversity and harvest calendars, and therefore achieve profitability more rapidly than fixed facilities.

The equipment is also part of an environmental approach and enhances the value of by-products not used after processing by converting them into compost to fertilize the soil in return.

Beyond technological innovation, the development of these units also represents a source of income for other sectors of activity, notably through the creation and development of a network of accredited distributors, training providers and local repair services.

Development stage

Mobile mini-processing plants with many advantages

The solution offers numerous advantages, creating a link between agricultural production and the agri-food sector. It makes it possible to :

• reduce post-harvest losses;
• promote the recycling of processing by-products into compost;
• facilitate product processing or provide flexibility to industrial facilities;
• diversify income streams and extend the sales calendar for farm products;
• ensure product stability and preservation;
• guarantee improved vitamin and nutrient content;
• provide modern and effective vacuum packaging for preservation;
• expand market opportunities from local to export markets;
• include implementation support;
• optimize the structuring of producers into collectives that share the equipment or, when the plant is operated by an agro-industrial company, provide on-field services without logistical constraints;
• enhance local expertise and the dynamism of regional production systems.

An innovation for food systems in Africa, diversified models

The mobile processing unit project is supported by BPIfrance, providing an advantage to early buyers who will benefit from certain financial support mechanisms for equipment acquisition. Thus, private processors will be required to contribute 15% of the total equipment financing; for public procurement exceeding 5 million euros, the expected contribution is 20% of the total order during the initial years of equipment deployment.

Developing new markets for farmer groups (cooperatives, economic interest groups)

Mobile mini-processing plants offer new professional and market opportunities.

The main innovation: providing a sustainable and professional process to transform and preserve harvested products, thereby preventing the rapid deterioration of fruits and vegetables.

With urban populations seeking to spend less time cooking, they offer a vitamin-rich and ready-to-use consumption alternative that aligns with market expectations. A valuable opportunity for distribution platforms, which can guarantee high-quality local supply to their customers.

Providing flexibility to agri-food companies in Africa

Conventional processing plants face numerous constraints: sometimes dedicated to processing a single type of resource, they depend on harvest calendars, variability in production volumes and logistics, including the distance between production areas and the plant. It is therefore more difficult to amortize investment and operating costs, particularly during periods of inactivity, and to maintain the sustainability of skilled employment.

The mobile plant developed by AS-Food International with 黑料网911 makes it possible to increase both the quantities and the quality of finished products, to diversify the types of crops processed, and to ensure year-round activity. With the support of a training and maintenance network, operators can benefit from a support network managed in coordination with AS-Food International.

To obtain a return on investment simulation prepared by AS-Food, please refer .

Supporting food self-sufficiency

Beyond providing technical equipment in support of farming communities and small processing units, the project also pursues a broader ambition: “to respond, at least in part, to the challenge of food self-sufficiency and rural exodus.” Post-harvest losses are considerable in Africa, particularly because demand for fresh products during peak production periods is insufficient to absorb the volumes produced. The phenomenon is exacerbated by the distance between harvesting sites and points of sale. Furthermore, beyond the lack of processing infrastructure, locally processed products suffer from an image issue, sometimes perceived as less stable or of lower quality compared to imported brands.

To address this issue, AS-Food, which brings together entrepreneurs from Africa and Europe, has designed this solution with the aim of fostering a virtuous ecosystem for rural communities.

In order to facilitate the acquisition of equipment and enable farmers to focus on their agricultural activities, AS-Food has developed a dedicated model for NGOs and local authorities. Through the acquisition of mini-processing plants by a local authority or an NGO, AS-Food offers to ensure the operational management of the mini-processing plants. AS-Food purchases products from farmers directly at the farm, recruits and trains dedicated staff, and ensures the processing and marketing of the products. Part of the operations may be carried out in cooperation with national private operators.

The economic model provides for :

• either an annual royalty amounting to 10% of the investment cost, paid by AS-Food to the partner owning the mini-processing plants;
• or a sharing of operating profits between AS-Food and the owning partner, according to terms to be defined.

To obtain a return on investment simulation prepared by AS-Food, please refer

The project currently benefits from the support of BPIfrance, Entrepreneurs du Monde, La French Fab, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region and Nitidae. From a technical perspective, the company collaborates with the CTCPA, Technical Center for the Preservation of Agricultural Products, in partnership with IMEBIO and FEMAG Industries. In addition, FASEP funding has been secured to support commercial development, notably through the installation of a pilot unit in Côte d’Ivoire, scheduled for launch in the second half of 2023.

References and intellectual property

Publications

Savouré Timoty. 2021. Conception intégrée, multi-échelle et multi-objectif d'une unité mobile de transformation de fruits et légumes. Montpellier : Montpellier SupAgro, 228 p. Thèse de doctorat : Génie des procédés : Montpellier SupAgro