Non Timber Forest Products Marketing Certification and Opportunities

Sofche Spasikova MSc Forest Ecology and Management UNIQUE forestry consultants GmbH, Freiburg, Germany

Forest Products Marketing Workshop, Mavrovo, TfYR Macedonia December 9th, 2010 Content

UNIQUE forestry consultants • Our profile • Reference projects Certification of NTFPs • Opportunities NTFP‐Markets • Domestic market • International markets Conclusion UNIQUE forestry consultunts Management

Sustainable forest management Operational training, certification, reduced impact logging, forest management and business plans , FSC certification prep. New Forest Business Forest investments, Carbon Finance, wood bioenergy Marketing of forest products Market research, studies and cluster analysis, marketing strategies develop. incl. payments for environmental services Environment and nature conservation Assesemnt of protected areas, management planning, eco‐ accounting, economic analysis of nature conservation IT & Logistic Developing business software, advice on implementation and training of software applications, supply‐chain‐management Regional offices Kampala, Uganda; Asunción, Paraguay 3 UNIQUE ­ Regional Focus

Regional Offices (Boppard, Uganda, Paraguay) Permanent representatives 1 or 2 UNIQUE‐Projects (Argentina, China, India) 3 or more UNIQUE‐Projects

4 Reference projects

Advisory Team to National Forest Inventory in Montenegro –Forestry Development Project Montenegro (FODEMO II) FMP guidelines for State and Private Forests and Forest Development Plans. (LUX Development S.A., 2009‐2011)

Preparation of management plans for forests in the National Park Galichica, Macedonia In line with the NPG overall management objectives, sustainable forest management plans were elaborated. (KfW, 2009)

www.unique-forst.de Reference projects

Sub‐sector analysis of "Non‐Timber Forest Products“ in Montenegro Analysis and comprehensive strategy for the promotion of the NTFP sub‐sector in Montenegro. (SNV, 2008)

Innovative tools and techniques for the sustainable use of shea tree in the Sudano‐ Sahelian zone ‐ Shea trade and marketing Analysis of the value chain of shea products to assist economically marginalized producer countries for better access to the global shea economy. (EU, 2006‐2010) www.unique-forst.de Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs)

FAO (1992): “NTFP are non‐wood forest products which include all goods of biological origin, as well as services derived from forest or any land under similar use, and exclude wood in all its forms”.

CIFOR: “Non‐timber forest products (NTFPs) are any product or service other than timber that is produced in the forests. They include fruits and nuts, vegetables, fish and game, medicinal plants, raisins, essences and a range of barks and fibres such as bamboo, rattans, and a host of other palms and grasses. CIFOR uses an exclusive definition of NTFPs –one that even encompasses wood products, such as wood for carvings and fuel” NTFPs on the Balkans

NTFPs collected in the Balkan region are usually: • Mushrooms • Medicinal aromatic plants (MAP) • Forest fruits • (Fuelwood)

NTFPs on the Balkans have the advantage to be collected/produced in most favorable environment: • Fertile soils and clean water • Numerous sunny days • Small chemical influence SSA Montenegro, 2008 Certification Certification Organic wild collection (OWC)

European regulation 2902/91 US National organic program CERES standard interpretation Organic Wild Collection (Abstract)

• OWC should be sustainable and performed in unpolluted areas and on clean places • Cleanness: during harvest and on all post harvest levels, products must be handeld in adequate sanitary conditions European regulation 2902/91 US National organic program CERES standard interpretation Standards and Certification Basic: HACCP Additional: ‐Organic production ‐ Fair Trade ‐ Product carbon footprint Why certification?

Certification is a process providing third‐party assurance that the product was grown, produced, processed and distributed properly according to certification criteria.

Certification gains a lot of attention because it: • Reduces transaction costs • Resolves the information problem • Increasingly regulates the NTFP‐value chains • Opens new markets (domestic and international) • Recieves increasing consumer awareness. Certification as a market opportunity

Requirements of the EU Markets • HACCP –to have the product recognized as food product.

• Additional: − Organic production − Fair Trade − Product carbon footprint. Montenegrin experience

Monteorganica – agency for certification of organic food and production in Montenegro

‐ well known on the domestic market, but not internationally accredited ‐ An opportunity: Monteorganica could become a member of the International Chamber of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM)

Export final products on the international markets

Export certified raw or interim materials for internationally certified organic products SSA Montenegro, 2008 Shea nut value chains (VCs) in Ghana

Despite certification costs, growing certification and NGO involvement in Shea nut VCs – especially in cosmetic products.

Key determinants was not the price, but „credence attributes“: • Safe environment • Sustainable organic collection • Fair trade attributes

Sustainable use of Shea tree, Case study Ghana, 2009 Shea nut value chains (VCs) in Mali

At the moment there is a demand for all quality levels of shea nut butter, although the price slightly varies from low to high quality.

Nevertheless, certification is gaining importance: • To open export markets • To increase value generated per volume.

Foreign players are important for certification • MIOBION (Mouvement Biologique Mali) was founded by the Swiss NGO Helvetas Sustainable use of Shea tree, Case study Mali, 2009 Market opportunities

Market opportunities Organic (Green) Market –an opportunity

• Food markets ‐ Already existing and very competitive ‐ Additional standards, such as the organic and fair trade production are an opportunity to better place the products on the EU market.

• Cosmetics and health markets • Increasing distribution and increasing consumer demand • At the moment there are no EU regulations for natural and organic cosmetic products • In the future it is expected EU to develope such certificates. SSA Montenegro, 2008 Domestic markets

In Montenegro:

• Not well explored • Amounts of wild collected NTFPs is not known • Recognized potential for mushroom sale in large cities and tourist centres • High price of organic products

SSA Montenegro, 2008 Export markets for MAP

SSA Montenegro, 2008 Suppliers of MAP to the EU

SSA Montenegro, 2008 Conclusions Thank you for your attention!

Contact: Sofche Spasikova UNIQUE forestry consultants Freiburg, Germany Sofce.Spasikova@unique‐forst.de www.unique‐forst.de