Good Manufacturing and Hygienic Practices at Small and Medium Scale Pineapple Processing Enterprises in Rwanda

The purpose of this study was to assess the compliance of small and medium scale pineapple processing enterprises in Rwanda to the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) as set by the national, regional and Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) food safety and hygiene regulations. The layout design and practices of hygiene for 16 small and 11 medium pineapple processing enterprises were characterised by conducting face-to-face interviews using questionnaires and observations. None of the visited enterprises had clear criteria of the delivery procedure of raw pineapples and none had a signed contract with the suppliers and this led to uncontrolled primary production. The plant layout and design of both small and medium enterprises were characterised by insufficient number of working rooms and there was  crisscrossing in the production line of 81.8% and 87.5% respectively for medium and small enterprises. The clean and unclean sectors were only separated at 63.6% and 31.2% of the medium and small enterprises respectively. In generally, the status of all enterprise categories, their surrounding areas and equipment was classified as unsatisfactory. The majority of enterprises did not have temperature and time control systems and for both enterprise categories, there was no clear plan for waste disposal, plus pest and insect control. Lack of compliance to the standard requirements was observed in the majority of both enterprise categories. In order for these enterprises to access export market, it is recommended that training on the requirements for GMP and HGP for food processing industries by the Rwanda Bureau of Standards and other government and non-government institutions be provided. Training programs on basic food safety and hygiene in food processing enterprises need to be in place to support implementation of prerequisite programs in the small scale fruit processing enterprises. Keywords: Good manufacturing practices, Small and medium enterprises, Pineapple processing, Standard

Issues Affecting Small- and Medium-Scale Pineapple Processing Enterprises in Rwanda: A Cross-sectional Study

Fruit processing small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in the national economic development of Rwanda. Though they receive attention from the government, they still face numerous constraints that hinder their development. A cross-sectional study design was used to profile 16 small-scale and 11 medium-scale pineapple-processing enterprises in the country and assess the issues affecting them. From July to August in 2011, data was collected using a structured questionnaire and face-to-face interviews with enterprise managers. Results showed that most managers of these SMEs are male, married, within the age range of 36–40 years, have had formal education, and works 10 h per day. Most of these SMEs are located in the Eastern Province near pineapple production areas. The mean for the capital investment for small-scale processors was estimated at US$11,066 and for medium enterprises at US$805,000. Majority of small-scale enterprises had 10 employees or less while majority of the medium-scale enterprises had more than 10 employees, with both enterprises hiring mostly unskilled laborers working 8 h per day. Results reveal that the major constraints in pineapple-processing industry in Rwanda were the following: access to modern processing equipment and proper packaging material, access to raw materials, high cost of water and electricity, high transportation cost, and limited knowledge and skills of human resources. This article provides various recommendations on how SMEs can overcome these constraints and produce quality products that can penetrate the export market