We are proud to announce that we will be conducting our next webinar on broadening access to finance for unlocking cold chain growth in Africa.
The lack of sufficient and efficient cold chain infrastructure is a major contributor to food losses and the reason many agribusinesses are missing opportunities in the fast-growing fresh produce global market. It is estimated that 55% of fruits and vegetables are lost and that African agribusinesses are participating with less than 10% of the total trade of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Establishing an uninterrupted series of cold storage and refrigerated distribution facilities, especially for fresh fruit and vegetables, within maintained temperature conditions, not only requires the infrastructure and technology, but also the right approach with the right financial tools.
Finance for cold chain developments requires strategies that allow increasing capital access by eliminating risk-related barriers to agribusinesses and operators, such as high collateral requirements, elevated risk premiums, increasing the number of financial operators and financial products available. As well it is required better coordination among funders and financiers, with a holistic approach to cold chain from farm to market.
The webinar will provide a rich discussion about the context of cold chain finance in Africa, detailing the current situation and challenges, while also presenting different financial innovations that are being implemented for unlocking cold chain growth in Africa.
Date: 10th March 2021, 4.00-5.00pm CET, 6.00-7.00pm EAT
Register: Zoom – https://zcu.io/Xz1u
Audience: Agribusinesses, Logistics Operators, Investors, BDOs. Mostly coming from IF community and current potential clients.
Approach:
Learning and sharing why it is important to invest and finance cold chain solutions for agriculture.
What needs to be addressed for increasing finance in agricultural cold chain.
What are the most innovative financial instruments that can help to increase cold chain development?
Speakers:
Amanda Brondy –GCCA
Matthew Meredith – LixCap
Rim Azirar – SunFunder
Jim Chu – Untapped
Mina Stiernblad – InspiraFarms
Moderator: Dr. Michele Bruni – InspiraFarms
