Frequently Asked Questions About PhytoTrade Africa Membership
- What is PhytoTrade Africa?
- What are natural products?
- Why do we need an Association?
- What does PhytoTrade Africa do?
- Who should be a member?
- What services do members receive?
- Are there any rules of membership?
- What are the categories of membership?
- What does it cost?
- I want to become a member. What
do I do next?
Application forms etc.
1. What is PhytoTrade Africa?
PhytoTrade Africa is the Southern African Natural Products Trade Association. We were established in 2001 to facilitate growth in the region’s natural products industry and, through this growth, to stimulate employment creation and economic empowerment in rural areas. Our 50+ members are drawn from eight different countries and are united by a common interest in the production, processing and sale of natural products.
2. What are natural products?
Natural products are derived from plant resources that are harvested from the wild by rural producers. These products are used to supply the nutraceutical, phyto-medicinal, botanical, flavour and fragrance, herbal remedy, dietary supplement, functional food, cosmeceutical and personal care industries. PhytoTrade Africa currently focuses on Baobab Adansonia digitata, Kalahari melon Citrullus lanatus, Mafura Trichilia emetica, Mongongo/ Manketti Schinziophyton rautanenii, Marula Sclerocarya birrea, Mobola plum Parinari spp, Sausage tree Kigelia Africana, Ximenia Ximenia spp.
3. Why do we need an Association?
Despite rapid growth on a global scale, the natural products industry is not well-established within Southern Africa. Producers face negative perceptions about production skills and capacity in Africa, logistical constraints to developing reliable supply chains, a lack of co-ordinated investment in product development, and little support from their governments. Although an industry with potential to realise significant benefits for rural economies, these barriers can only be overcome through collective action on the part of producers.
4. What does PhytoTrade Africa do?
PhytoTrade Africa is active in the following areas:
- Collaborative R&D with high profile commercial partners to develop new products.
- The provision of business development and technical support to members to facilitate effective supply chains.
- Through our marketing offices in Europe and the region, we provide assistance to our members to exploit new market opportunities, sell their products and make money.
5. Who should be a member?
PhytoTrade Africa’s members are businesses involved in the production, processing and trade of natural products. They also include research institutions, government agencies, NGOs and individuals with a shared interest in the commercial use of natural products.
6. What services do members receive?
Natural Product R&D
PhytoTrade Africa’s members are active participants in an R&D programme, undertaken with some of the world’s leading commercial players. In addition to preferential access to grant funding for innovations in production and processing technologies, members can draw on an extensive technical database, containing literature on plant species and uses, product development, existing patents, and new processing techniques.
Business Development Support
Our members are entitled to on-site technical support from our team of advisors on a range of topics, including quality standards and certification, processing technologies, GMP, business planning, export procedures and market penetration strategies.
Market Development
Our members receive continuous support in developing new markets, regular news updates on market trends, representation at trade fairs, and promotion of their products through our EU marketing office in London. The PhytoTrade Africa team also provides a match-making service to ensure that members are linked to buyers with good prospects for long term trade.
What else do members get?
PhytoTrade Africa members also benefit from being part of the only natural products association in the region. Whether lobbying governments and regulatory bodies, advising on issues such as bio-prospecting, venture capital financing, and EU Novel Food Regulations, or simply providing a united and professional front for the industry, the PhytoTrade Africa team is there to meet the needs of its members.
7. Are there any rules of membership?
Applicants must:
- collaborating with us developing on win-win solutions for the natural products industry; Constitution
- commit to the principles of environmental sustainability and Fair Trade; Environmental Charter, Fair Trade Charter,
- maintain the confidentiality PhytoTrade Africa’s technical and market information.
8. What are the categories of membership?
There are two categories of membership - Corporate and Individual. Corporate members are entitled to the full range of services offered by the Association, whilst Individual membership is restricted to those with an academic, but not a commercial, interest in natural products, who only require a limited selection of these services.
9. What does it cost?
There is a sliding scale of membership fees for Corporate Members based on annual turnover:
Categories of Membership |
Annual Income/Turnover |
Membership Fees |
|
Corporate Member |
|
|
|
|
Grade 1 |
<US$25 000 |
US$100 |
Grade 2 |
US$25-50 000 |
US$250 |
|
Grade 3 |
US$50-75 000 |
US$500 |
|
Grade 4 |
US$75-150 000 |
US$750 |
|
Grade 5 |
>US$150 000 |
US$1000 |
|
Individual Member |
US$50 |
||
Joining fees are charged on a once-off basis to new members, and are an additional 50% of the annual fees payable by a new member.
10. I want to become a member. What do I do next?
Complete a membership application form. Once submitted, we will contact your references and conduct an assessment of your suitability for membership. Applications are considered by our Board at quarterly intervals and, if successful, are activated on receipt of your annual membership fees.
If you are an institutional applicant, please include a copy of your most recent annual report and documentary evidence of your legal status (e.g. your company Articles, your welfare registration certificate etc.). If you are applying as an individual, please include your CV.
Application form and notes (MS
Word 125k) (pdf file
108k)
Terms and Conditions of PhytoTrade Membership (MS
Word 21k) (pdf
83k)
For more information about membership of PhytoTrade Africa contact the information officer.