GCCA’s Richard Tracy traveled to East Timor in December 2016 to explore new project opportunities. After meeting with a USAID funded agriculture project based in the capital of Dili, Richard made recommendations to reduce postharvest losses and strengthen the nascent cold chain. Based on his input, GCCF was selected to complete the assessment and sent a team consisting of a refrigeration engineer and a fresh fruits and vegetable expert to East Timor in March 2017. This assessment supported the Avansa Agrikultura project, which was implemented by a new partner to GCCA, Cardno. The project aimed to reduce high postharvest loss rates experienced in the area which had resulted in economic, nutrition and environmental losses.
