Manica, Zambezia, Nampula and Niassa
2003 – 2012

With funds from USAID through two Global Development Alliances, we connected Ikuru sarl with niche international markets for Fairtrade and Organic certified product by supporting 4,000 of its producer-members to become certified as Fairtrade (FLO-cert) and organic (EcoCert) for soya, sesame, cashew nut and peanut. 

With our technical support in packing, quality control, export logistics and marketing, Ikuru became Mozambique’s first ever exporter of Organic/Fairtrade product, exporting around 500 tons of certified product worth two million dollars to Europe and Norway and putting Mozambican product on the shelves of major UK supermarkets Sainsburys and Tesco. On top of achieving higher sales prices, Ikuru’s certified farmers earned more than 100,000 dollars in Fairtrade social premiums.

None of this would have been possible without our support to Ikuru in establishing its own aflatoxin testing laboratory at the University Lúrio in Nampula, the first commercial aflatoxin laboratory in the country, which ensured that all of its exports were aflatoxin free. The laboratory has since not only provided commercial testing services to a range of other local producers and exporters – addressing on one of the biggest barriers to peanut exports from Mozambique – but has also contributed to the improved health of thousands of Mozambicans who unknowingly consume aflatoxin contaminated basic food stuffs.