Business opportunities in the Ethiopian fruit and vegetable sector

The horticultural sector in Ethiopia is growing strongly. Major part of this growth is created by investments in the floriculture sector. Recently more and more in terest from the Dutch private sector is shown in the Ethiopian fruits and vegeta ble sector. Export of fruit and vegetables has been limited but is now growing strongly with new investors coming in. Both in Europe and in the Middle East there is a growing interest for products from Ethiopia. Presently, the main export products are fresh beans, strawberries, tomatoes, courgettes, peppers and fresh herbs. A potential new crop is table grapes. The Government of Ethiopia gives high pri ority to the development of the horticulture sector and in 2008 the Horticultural Development Agency has been established with a specific focus to promote and support the further development of the horticulture sector. It is concluded that the further development of the fruit and vegetable sector in Ethiopia for export to Europe and the Middle East has good perspectives and provides interesting opportunities for foreign investors. The sector is however still in its infant stage. Facilitating conditions for doing business are not yet op timal, but are expected to improve in the near future. For growers who consider starting operations in Ethiopia it is important to carefully select a location and ensure getting the logistical and cool chain well organised beforehand. For companies considering sourcing from Ethiopia it is important to build good relations with the potential growers, provide hands on guidance and train ing and invest in organising the logistical supply chain well

Pilot to improve linkage of domestic tomato supply chains to local high segment markets

The pilot aims to link smallholder tomato farmers in both Kenya and Tanzania to local high segment markets as supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and hospitals

Dutch business opportunities in the Turkish biodiesel sector

To research possibilities for Dutch businesses to be involved in the Turkish biodiesel sector, a short literature study and unstructured interviews with sector stakeholders were performed. Turkey is interested to develop its biofuel sector particularly to improve its security of energy supply, more than climatic based reasons. Turkey is currently importing most of its energy needs. About 50% of oil is used for transportation. Biodiesel has been produced chiefly from imported oilseeds. However, the quantities of locally produced rapeseed and to a lesser extent safflower has increased strongly in the last few years. Biodiesel production grew from 2005 onwards but always remained under its capacity. In mid 2008 production was completely halted. Input prices were high and supporting policies were lacking. Mixing gasoline with biodiesel in Turkey is not mandatory. Economic reforms following the financial crisis in 2001 and a new direct foreign investment law has improved the investment climate for foreign investors. Current possibilities for the Dutch private sector to be involved in the Turkish biodiesel sector are however very limited. Local demand for biodiesel is low and a clear policy focus on biodiesel is still lacking

Improving the Tanzanian-Mombasa cross-border tomato product chain: a study of Mombasa tomato market : draft report

The study of Mombasa tomato market is part of the project “Development of Commercial Field Vegetable Production, Distribution and Marketing for the East African Market”. The project is implementing a pilot activity on improving crossborder tomato chains from Ngarenanyuki, Tanzania, to Mombasa, Kenya. The overall objective of the study was to assess the requirements, institutional setting and current supply issues of the Mombasa tomato market and to describe the supply chain logistics and characteristics

The Judge and the Anthropologist: Cultural Expertise in Dutch Courts

As a judge, I have the feeling that culture is related with anything and everything – and with nothing at all. In most criminal cases, it hides underground, not visible, not recognized and is rarely, if ever, brought up as an argument by the participants. In my experience, even though an anthropologist can see remarkable cultural features given the way proceedings are organized, the judge, in managing the proceedings, will try to keep such features out of sight. As such, in my view, anthropologists offer an outsider’s view whilst the judge, as part of the legal system, is an insider. This paper starts from a sceptical standpoint about cultural knowledge, in which I argue that the judge, as a legal professional, does not need to take into consideration that law and procedures are embedded in a dominant culture because they are more interested in a case-by-case approach, trying individuals for their concrete deeds. This paper elaborates on the potential common ground between anthropological and legal methods and concludes with my first-hand experience on the so-called Context case in which an anthropologist was appointed as expert for a well-known terrorism case in the Netherlands. This case epitomizes, in my view, the challenges and the potential benefits of integrating cultural expertise in court