News digest: Agri-food markets and production
- 18/03/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Bananas, Benin, Burkina Faso, Caribbean, China, Ethiopia, France, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, News, Pacific, Spain, Tanzania, Zimbabwe
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Global Organic farming is still gaining ground Global organic agriculture is progressing in small steps again in 2019, with a 1.6% increase in the global surface area – an additional 1.1 million hectares (ha) – to 72.3 million ha (including land under conversion), with Oceania in the lead, in fact Australia (nearly 50%), followed by Europe (23%) and Latin America (11%) (Commodafrica, 3 March). But compared to the world’s agricultural surface area, the result is still modest (1.5%). The countries… +Support for NPPOs: Banana fusarium wilt TR4 in West Africa
- 10/03/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, News, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
On 9 March, COLEACP and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held a webinar with the FAO-led World Banana Forum: “Banana fusarium wilt TR4 – an overview of distribution and impact, and the essential biosecurity measures needed for West Africa”. TR4 is an aggressive strain of banana fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense tropical race 4), one of only six strains that attack Cavendish bananas. If unchecked, TR4 can wipe out an entire plantation. The meeting gave an… +SCS International – Cardboard packaging manufacturing plant
- 05/01/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Mali, News
Malian horticultural company SCS International, a COLEACP Fit For Market partner, has been planning for several years to set up a cardboard packaging manufacturing plant. SCS has announced that the plant is now fully operational, and in 2020 it has already supplied more than 1 million cartons and nearly 3 million paper bags. In addition to creating new jobs, the plant will enable exporting companies and manufacturers in Mali and the sub-region to benefit from local sourcing.… +Mango Campaign Report 2020
- 04/01/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Mali, News
On 17 December 2020, the national day for the validation of statistics on mango production, marketing, processing and export was held in Mali. This day brought together the various stakeholders of the mango sector in Mali who were able to witness the results of the sector and exchange on future actions. Special attention was given to the impact of COVID-19 on the campaign. The Malian channel CHERIFLA TV, takes a look back at this day chaired by Mr. Moctar Traore,… +Regional e-meetings on EU phytosanitary legislation, Brexit and more
- 16/12/2020
- Posted by: Emmanuel Bourcelet
- Category: Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Pacific, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
During December, COLEACP began a series of regional e-meetings for National Plant Protection Organisations (NPPOs). The first was held in collaboration with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) on 4 December. It was followed by an e-meeting on 15 December for Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries. The third session, for Pacific NPPOs, will be on 17 December (in English). The series will continue in 2021, with key topics including (among others) lists of regulated… +COLEACP–ECOWAS Cooperation Agreement
- 11/12/2020
- Posted by: Emmanuel Bourcelet
- Category: Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mangoes, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
On 8 December, COLEACP signed a Cooperation Agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Mr Alain Sy Traoré, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development of the ECOWAS Commission, said “Within the framework of this Cooperation Agreement, we encourage the continuation of the exchanges initiated between COLEACP and ECOWAS through the Fit For Market SPS and SyRIMAO programmes, which have already made it possible to identify points of synergy between the two projects for the next mango campaign… +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… +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… +USTAKO achieves HACCP certificate
- 12/11/2020
- Posted by: Emmanuel Bourcelet
- Category: Mali, Mangoes, News
Last April, the Unité de Transformation de Fruits et Légumes Tako Sylla (USTAKO), a Malian company exporting dried mangoes, received support from COLEACP’s Fit For Market programme for a review of its food safety management system and capacity building of its technical staff on HACCP principles. This support enabled the company to prepare for the renewal of its HACCP certification, which it obtained in September following the certification audit. Congratulations to USTAKO for obtaining its new certificate.… +Support to National Plant Protection Organisations
- 30/10/2020
- Posted by: Emmanuel Bourcelet
- Category: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar, Mali, Mangoes, Senegal, Togo
A virtual meeting, facilitated by Mr Babacar Samb, brought together participants from several NPPOs (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Senegal, Togo). The aim was to set up an audit system within the NPPOs. This first meeting made it possible to introduce a guide developed by COLEACP: “Basic elements for implementing an internal audit system” in connection with implementing the systemic approach for the control of fruit flies in the mango export value chain. The NPPOs will then… +