QUESTION FROM NATAL / SOUTH AFRICA

I found the articles on papain (20 - 21 - 22) very informative as I have been of the same opinion concerning the viabilty of such an industry in Africa.

I spent several years in rural areas of Mozambique and came to the conclusion that for a industry to be viable in Africa it must generate foreign currency, create local employment and local consumption of the by products.

I believe papain is the right product that complies with the requirement.

I am currently producing on a very small scale (5000 trees) papain for research in production techniques that would be applicable in rural areas with no electricity.I am more concerned with zero capital production than large single investments like that which you proposed.

I believe papain can be produced at home to an acceptable standard for export with no or very little capital outlay. What is needed in Africa is buyers that are willing to buy small quantities of the enzyme.

Do you have access or contact with any buyers that would be prepared to accept small quantities and very importantly give feedback to the producer to enable her to improve the quality and so the value????.

Thank you
Nico

REPLY From: Bienvenu Quenum To: @freemail.absa.co.za
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2001 8:25 AM
Subject: RE: Papain production

Dear Sir,

Thanks for contacting BusinessAfrica™ / Dr. Quenum & Associates.

Yes Papain is one of the cash crop projects which can help many African countries have a share of the international trade's cake.

There are plenty other opportunities of the kind; and we at BusinessAfrica™ / Dr. Quenum & Associates highlight them month after month in AFRICABIZ® ONLINE monthly issue.

A- To be able to get a good price for PAPAIN, quality is paramount. The articles in AFRICABIZ® ONLINE you are referring to (20 - 21 - 22) are based on a technology which provides the highest and guaranteed grade for PAPAIN production. It is a Belgian company's proprietary technology not matched by any other technology worldwide.

There are out there, at the world at large, many other technologies which claim to produce PAPAIN. However they deliver only low if not bad quality grade of PAPAIN.

B- The project outlined in the articles is meant to be an "economic catalyst" for the regional territory of any African country. That is to say to be the central operation capable of generating additional economic activities (animal breeding, tar-saturated corrugated roofing sheet production line. Etc).

It is capital intensive just for the beginning of the operation - purchase of the equipment and technology licensing; but also it is labor intensive as 500 to 1, 000 people will have to work on the plantation of papaya trees and subsequent additional industrial plants (animal feed, roofing sheet, slaughtering house. Etc.)

C- Your small scale operation is also valid. It is another approach; and whatever may be the PAPAIN grade you succeed obtaining, there will always have a market for it.

Demand is going to soar in the near future as AIDS / HIV vaccines will need huge amount of PAPAIN. The better the grade, the highest the price.

D- You can easily find purchasers by contacting big pharmaceuticals companies in Europe, Japan and North America.

Have a good business day

B.M. Quenum
Managing Director
BusinessAfricaT / Dr. Quenum & Associates
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