News digest: policy
- 17/12/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
No CommentsGlobal Financing the Sustainable Development Goals The European Investment Bank (10 December)has joined a group of 11 multilateral development banks (MDBs) and the International Monetary Fund to launch the first-ever joint report on Financing the Sustainable Development Goals. The report is released at the end of a critical year, in which the Covid-19 pandemic threatens to reverse progress on the SDGs. In response, the MDBs have collectively mobilised a global response package of US$230 billion between 2020 and 2021 to… +News digest: Agri-food markets & production
- 16/12/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
MARKETS: AFRICA Kenya and UK sign trade deal Kenya and the United Kingdom have formally signed a trade agreement ending an era of doing business through protocols of the European Union, from which London will exit at the end of December (FPC Fresh Talk Daily, 9 December). The agreement provides for Kenya’s duty-free, quota-free access to the UK market on specified products, which currently include coffee, tea, fresh vegetables and cut flowers. The deal has also simplified the Rules of… +COLEACP-CABI AGREEMENT TO SUPPORT GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
- 10/12/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Uncategorized
COLEACP and CABI have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on key areas of interest concerning sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures around the world. The agreement, which ultimately aims to benefit food security among countries within the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states, will enable a strategic focus on improving SPS measures – including regulations and standards – at a local, national and regional levels. The understanding will build on CABI’s main objective of improving people’s lives worldwide… +EU approval will not be renewed for six key PPPs
- 30/11/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Caribbean, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Pacific, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Suriname, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Key points EU approval will not be renewed for six PPPs that are important to ACP horticulture : – thiophanate methyl – mancozeb – imidacloprid – zeta-cypermethrin – haloxyfop-p – pencycuron How will ACP producers/exporters be affected? Non-renewal means that these PPPs can no longer be legally used within EU countries. But it also has an impact on ACP growers – the EU maximum residue levels (MRLs) will be reduced to the limit of determination (LoD), which in most cases means… +Brexit workshop, 30 October 2020
- 13/11/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: News
In collaboration with the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), COLEACP organised a workshop on 30 October to present a set of practical recommendations (and remaining points of uncertainty) for ACP horticultural businesses trading directly or indirectly (via the EU) with the United Kingdom. Representatives from the Fresh Produce Consortium and Freshfel Europe also shared their analyses and priority areas for action. Context The UK officially left the European Union on 31 January 2020, and is now entering… +EU MRL changes
- 13/11/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Caribbean, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe
This news provides updates on recent changes to EU maximum residue limits (MRLs) for plant protection products (PPPs). Where an MRL has been lowered, it is important for growers using the PPP to make any necessary adjustments in good time to ensure continued compliance with EU regulations. This may mean adapting production practices (good agricultural practices, GAP) or using alternative control methods. This news also includes a complete list of the MRL changes introduced so far in 2020. If you… +Avocado trial opens door for Ethiopian produce exports
- 27/10/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Ethiopia
European importers have taken delivery of the first trial shipments of Hass avocados from Ethiopia (EUROFRUIT, 26 October). Durabilis, the international impact investment firm behind the venture, described the news as “a game-changing milestone that demonstrates the huge potential for Ethiopian produce”. The fruit was grown in the Koga region, south of Bahir Dar, and shipped via the new Ethiopia-Djibouti-Europe cool logistics corridor, being transported first by train to the Port of Djibouti, then shipped to Italy and transported to… +New NExT Kenya Programme Coordinator
- 26/10/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Kenya
COLEACP is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Chagema Kedera as Programme Coordinator for the new EU-funded NExT Kenya (New Export Trade) programme. Dr Kedera, formerly the founding Managing Director of the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), currently facilitates the Kenya National Horticultural Task Force. COLEACP has worked with Dr Kedera for many years: in the past he was Regional Coordinator with the EU-funded COLEACP-EDES Food Safety Programme, and more recently he has been a consultant expert working… +Webinar: Linking with Agriculture for a more Sustainable Tourism Sector in Guyana beyond Covid
- 26/10/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Caribbean
“Linking With Agriculture for a More Sustainable Tourism Sector in Guyana beyond Covid” | 27 October 2020 – 09:30-11:30hrs (GYT) Join Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Tourism with COLEACP at the Virtual Tourism Forum on the theme: “Linking With Agriculture for a More Sustainable Tourism Sector in Guyana beyond Covid”. This event will discuss how the tourism and agriculture sectors, working together, can create an enabling environment that spurs investment by stakeholders… +AGRICADO FARMS WORKING TOWARDS GLOBALG.A.P. COMPLIANCE
- 19/10/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Uganda
As part of its Fit For Market programme, COLEACP supported Agricado Farms to improve their quality management system in order to reach compliance with the GLOBALG.A.P. quality standard. A local expert first assessed the current practices in place, and then provided training to their quality management team. Agricado Farms is on its way to reach compliance with the GLOBALG.A.P. quality standard. Agricado Farms, a new fresh fruits and vegetable company located in Kampala, targets the European and Middle Eastern markets… +