CRITICAL AREAS in LOSS PREVENTION (Cavendish Banana Import-Export)

I am into facilitating Cavendish Banana Import-Export from Davao Philippines since 2007. Since then, I experienced a lot, and every customer and shipments are a learning process. Yes this business is very lucrative but unless you are familiar with the system and risk involve, you will surely end up in a mess of loss of time and money.

To resolve the issues, I formulate my own report based on years of experience, rigid research and consultation. Below is the result and I titled it as, "Cavendish Banana Import-Export CRITICAL AREAS in LOSS PREVENTION." You may want to view it for your reference if you are into this business. Otherwise, you may just end up in losses and waste of time (especially if you are not that experienced). My report also includes actual damage report experienced by my client to his former supplier.

To have a bird's eye view of my report, below is the actual Table of Contents...

• Low Price Trap in Cavendish Banana Import-Export
• Basic Checklist
• Quality / Duration of Storage
• Packaging
• Transport
• RF Temperature
• Humidity / Moisture
• Ventilation
• Biotic Activity
• Gases
• Self Heating / Spontaneous Combustion
• Odor
• Contamination
• Mechanical Influences
• Toxicity / Hazards to Health
• Shrinkage / Shortage
• Insect Infestation / Diseases

Although this field is basically sales in nature, finding the lowest price is not enough. The importer must find first the genuine farm owner-exporter or grower with set standards on harvest, packing operations, loading, shipping and customer relations. There are lots one can find in the internet but in reality, the genuine are hard to find as most in the internet are mere trading firms or middle men companies. To find the genuine, first, an importer must cooperate with someone who knows where the genuine farm owner/grower are, and willing to lead you directly to them. Second, the importer needs his contact to monitor the operations till bananas are shipped and reached the port of destination in good shape and expected freshness. That is Risk Management or Loss Prevention. An importer cannot just rely the matters in the hands of the supplier, especially if the destination is as far as Middle East, Europe and Russia. It has to be delegated to trusted experienced someone, or face the consequences caused by lack of understanding and monitoring team.

Another thing.

Right Container provider, right set temperature and ventilation is also very important. At the same time, below suggestion is very crucial:

1. Must pre-survey the plantation

2. Should hire Quality Inspector/s check harvests (live-Cut!)

3. To hire Quality Inspector to supervise packing line at the weighing and selection point

4. Clear and specific purchase and cutting order to the growers/farmers

5. Someone to random check on delivery before loading into the container

6. Securing of the cut-off time to secure maximum 12 hours between cut and cooling. At the same time, counter check set temperature and ventilation.

7. Inspection of the fruit thru the Bureau of Plant Industry (Department of Agriculture and SGS).

8. Others as the need arises.

More details are clarified with recommendations on issues at my report.

**this blog article is also found at agriwindow.wordpress.com

Feasibility Study or Business Plan are also available upon request.

If you you are interested, you may e-mail me at denissalvatierra@yahoo.com

You Can't Go Wrong With Agriculture Investment

I used to work for a corporate firm (8am to 5pm job), having been expose to almost all sorts of office task including earlier background on visual design and advertising. But after more than 10 years in office duties, I decided to shifted to commodity trading after I went to Singapore on 2005 (mentored by a Singaporean). My start was a sort of trial and error (e.g. crude oil, scrap metal, seafoods, agricultural products, etc.). Later I concentrated on agriultural products primarily on cavendish banana and rice as I seem to fit on it. As others have said, “you can’t go wrong if you are happy with what you are doing and/or if you invest in agriculture.”

above image is a ripe cavendish banana

I just tried on offering bananas as per request of an acquaintance business woman. In a matter of one week, I my self could not believe that a Lebanese client arrived and asked me to book himself and his wife to a five star hotel in the Manila. After few a few day talks and presentation, my client handed me advance downpayment in cash (US$). Weeks later, my partner were shipping containers of Cavendish Bananas to Jeddah, Dubai UAE, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Egypt and other Middle East countries. Little did I knew then that exporting bananas is a profitable venture and has been highly demanded mosly in the Middle East. At times, you need not seek buyers because they always come seeking sellers like you as what happened to me. But be careful as there are also lots of scammers in this business. Beside Middle East, other countries also import Philippine Cavendish bananas as it is one of the most favored in the world.

If you knew the farm in Mindanao, you will be surprise how large the plantation is and continue to supply though importers demands are getting bigger and bigger as times goes by. It’s just that I noticed something… price at times could not be controlled or lowered because capitalization for operation is too limitted. Unless a foreign investor is willing to joint venture with us.

I am a partner to highly credible former managers of known global brands. Our skills and years of experience in this business is very reliable but the investment is our limitation to be highly competitive. Let me show you some photos…

If you have the capacity to invest and would want a long years ROI, below is a highly credible offer with earning capacity beyond usual investment for short period of time…

The Investment Opportunity: 85 hectar Cavendish Banana Plantation located in the heart of world renowned Philippine plantation of Cavendish Bananas and other trophical fruits, not to mention the bountiful harvest capacity and export opportunity. (fully functional already – being offered by a government Bank, back-up by our team’s expertise and long years of experience).

Rest assured that the bank will directly arrange a tripartite agreement between bank, investor and the developer to safeguard the interest of the investors.

Expenses incurred in the operation will be address to the bank where the investors money deposited.

All sales proceeds from production will be deposited in the bank until such time all capital expenditures has been fully paid within 5 years.

Net profit after tax deductions will be shared according to percentage 20% investors, 80% for the bank and the developer.

Attached are the following:

1. Five years projected operating cost

2. Five years cash flow projection

3. Five years profit & loss per hectare per year

4. Other Remarks…

Please do no hesistate to reply for your comments and remarks. Other detailed information, accounting costing and feasibility study are all available upon request at denissalvatierra@yahoo.com

Investors can be assured of their money’s security as the investment are well taken care by the bank itself for manageable accounting and disbursement and ROI. The farm is already operational and produced more than enough supply on a regular basis. The team are highly experience and trustworthy (former managers and consultants of known global brands of Cavendish Banana and pineapple. We are able and our experience is more than enough to handle this project. What we just need is investment… like gas to a car. Believe it or not, it can shipped on a weekly basis to the Middle East and other parts of the world. We just need a joint venture partner-investor.

Financial Plan (pls click to link below)

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AjIzSSSEYO6PdGNIOWJrZ2t5Y0hGYktkM0FjVGZBeGc&hl=en

YouTube Presentation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_BGgulGMNs

Other details you can inquired at denissalvatierra@yahoo.com

If in any case you are also interested with Moringa, below are my articles…

http://fyi09.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/moringa-oil-as-biofuel-is-better-than-jatropha/

http://fyi09.wordpress.com/2010/01/09/moringa-facts-and-benefits/

http://fyi09.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/the-science-behind-moringa/

http://fyi09.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/greener-pasteur/

http://fyi09.wordpress.com/?s=moringa

http://fyi09.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/wealth-behind-moringa/

Vicky Wallace and Her Bee Farm in Bohol Philippines

Image is excerpt from Google Images

Who would have thought that a high earning US base Filipino Nurse and a mother would trade all she owned in America, in exchange of her one chance to establish a community building organic farm in Bohol Philippines. Better known as Bohol Bee Farm.

The lady in the spot light is “Vicky Wallace,” a New York based nurse-turned-farmer.” I loved what she said…

“You make good money in the States but you have to ask yourself what is it all about.” I had three jobs. I hardly saw my kids. So after the school year there ended, I brought them here.”

She also said that returning to the Philippines to start a business was one of the best decisions she made in her life.

Rough Start for Vicky

As always, the non-traditional are the ones persecuted for their unorthodox vision. It was when Vicky’s husband died in 1988. She began to rethink of her priorities as a mother and in life. As mentioned, it wasn’t an easy decision to make. Nonetheless, Vicky was firm on her decision, no matter what other people said. Let me quote her mother’s own words, , ‘Why are you dragging your kids to the Philippines, ‘as if it was a bad thing,” she relates. Good thing Vicky did not give up. Now, Bohol Bee Farm is a blessing not just to her family but to the whole province of Bohol as it also attracts tourist and it branch out to other possibilities and entrepreneurial opportunities. Let me again quote another words of Vicky…

“But I never regretted my decision. What kept me going was the thought that I didn’t want to live a life where my children grew up not knowing who I was because I was always working, and later their children would grow up the same way.”

“What kept me going was the thought that I didn’t want to live a life where my children grew up not knowing who I was because I was always working, and later their children would grow up the same way.”

Vicky bought lands where she invested some of her earned money, of which they settled in of it. She started selling vegetables to her children’s classmates. Later the parents married to foreigners went to the farm themselves and harvest their preferred vegetables. She also expanded to homemade bread. Her success in homemade bread starts when she baked breads that suits customer’s tastes. She observed that foreigners don’t like it sweet. In the contrary, locals love their kamote bread, which is slightly sweeter. Bee Farm’s herb bread is a hit to foreigners and hopes to win Filipinos tastes soon. There’s no stopping this lady as she also offered muffins and crafts, something she learned in the US.

More of Bohol Bee Farm on their site…

http://www.boholbeefarm.com/