Organizers and participants from MAIL
It is a useful experience to learn from countries with successful agricultural and socioeconomic programs. Hence, a 15-member delegation lead by the Deputy Minister for Agricultural Affairs (MAIL), Islamic Republic of Afghanistan participated in Leadership Seminar and Study Tour organized by the Institute of International Education (IIE) under the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local Malaysian partner Skill Focus Consultancy.
The program was held in Malaysia from 17-24 February 2012 with the following objectives – to improve leadership skills, organizational capacity, service delivery processes, and explore key models and best practices. The program comprised of presentations by VIPs, site visits for benchmarking and a dialogue with invited panellist on issues pertaining to agricultural development.
MAIL aims to increase sustainable production of high value and staple crops in Afghanistan for income generation, food security and export. Efforts are in progress to tackle constraints along the value chain from production to market and consumers, with emphasis on research and development, capacity development, infrastructural development, credit facilities and market access.
During the panel discussion on 19 February 2012, TFNet CEO was invited to present a paper on Food Supply Chain Management in Tropical Fruits – Issues and Challenges. He also was a panel member during the dialogue and discussion session. He highlighted various initiatives carried out by countries in the region to improve their tropical fruits industry through identifying weaknesses in the value chains and addressing them with appropriate actions.