MPS Recognizes Dümmen Orange Facilities
Last week at Cultivate15, Dümmen Orange announced that its facilities in Las Mercedes, El Salvador, were being recognized by MPS for its “continued dedication to ensuring sustainability in the floriculture industry.”
At the facilities, Dümmen Orange has implemented best production practices that meet or exceed MPS standards on environmental and agricultural practices as well as social responsibility.
“Nowadays, consumers are not only interested in the visible and tangible characteristics of the products they buy, they also are concerned with how products are made,” said Carl Kroon, general manager Las Mercedes, El Salvador. “Du_mmen Orange is deeply-rooted in our commitment to our people, our values and our planet. The MPS certification helps us to make it visible to our customers that our production methods respect our workers and the environment.”
Here is a sampling of what Dümmen Orange has done:
MPS-ABC Initiative:
– Invested in electrostatic spraying equipment for improved penetration of the crop, resulting in better crop coverage. Only crop protection agents that are approved by MPS are used; in many cases, these are stricter guidelines than allowed by the government.
MPS-GAP Initiatives:
– Continued investment of proper safety training for its people.
– Production personnel observe and enforce very strict greenhouse re-entry times to avoid unsafe exposure to crop protection agents.
– A number of assistant growers have participated in on-line education courses from the University of Florida to learn more about hydroponic .
MPS-SQ Initiatives:
– Introduced a scholarship program for the children of its workers. Participants receive grants to buy school materials and necessary supplies. In addition, through financial support from the farm, many workers have started a university study program in the evening to further their education.
– Female workers at Las Mercedes receive 90 days of maternity leave (more than the legal minimum), and have the right to work one hour less per day with full pay for six months upon returning to work.
Detailed information on its certifying process and certificates is available at the MPS website www.my-mps.com.