The U.S.-Pakistan Partnership for Agricultural Market Development (AMD) is a USAID funded project which aims to improve the ability of Pakistan’s commercial agriculture and livestock sectors to compete in international and national markets in the four target product lines; meat, high value and off season vegetables, mangoes and citrus. AMD will act as a catalyst for development and investment in target product lines by actively promoting cooperation and coordination amongst the value chain actors and ancillary service providers. AMD’s implementation strategy is underpinned by a strictly commercial and market driven approach with a clear focus on strengthening market access for its partner organizations, and support international marketing and sales efforts. The objective of the AMD project is to encourage investments in the four target product lines through matching grants and technical assistance, and empower stakeholders by developing synergies among them to accomplish together what they cannot do alone. AMD will support upgrading, streamline supply chains, provide technical assistance to optimize profit margins, increase participation of women entrepreneurs, and ultimately help make Pakistani meat, high value and off season vegetables, mangoes and citrus become more profitable and competitive.
With an annual production of almost 2 million tons, Pakistan is the 5th largest mango producer in the world. Pakistan’s mango sector came into limelight during this decade as a highly promising area for economic growth, and with significant impact on net market prospects. However, continued constraints with penetrating new export markets and expanding existing markets continue to plague the industry. Constraints limiting the profitability of the mango sector in Pakistan include:
a) Manual handling, sorting, and packing of fruit;
b) Compliance issues with international and higher-end markets;
c) Access to relevant markets;
d) High airfreight costs and availability of space.
To address these issues, and to strengthen the supply chains on a sustainable basis with high potential of replication, AMD is supporting critical trainings in the packing process to improve quality, extend shelf life, reduce export costs, increase market share, and function as a catalyst with attracting investments from other industry players.
The purpose to this RFP is to solicit proposals for a business service provider to design and deliver these trainings.