• Outcome of the UK Global Tariff Consultation

    • 12/06/2020
    • Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
    • Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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    Background In February 2020, the UK Department for International Trade launched an online consultation process to inform the UK’s future most favoured nation (MFN) tariff schedule (i.e. UK Global Tariff, UKGT) following the effective UK’s withdrawal from the EU customs union and single market. The UKGT will be effective as from 1st January 2021. There was an intense debate in the UKGT regime between free market liberalises and trade policy pragmatists, with a specific emphasis on the zero production-zero tariff … +
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  • B2B networking in the Pacific region

    • 14/05/2020
    • Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
    • Category: Fiji, News, Pacific
    No Comments
    At the Joint ACP-EU Private Sector Development Information, Knowledge Sharing and Networking event for the Pacific region in December, COLEACP participated in a B2B session for Fijian producers and export companies. The event, organised with the technical support of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO), brings together the implementation agencies of ACP/EU financing facilities and private sector development programmes on one hand, and ACP private sector stakeholders on the other.  … +
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  • Important information regarding non-renewal of plant protection product approvals

    • 05/05/2020
    • Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
    • Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
    No Comments
    This news info provides an on regulatory changes concerning plant protection products The European Commission (EC) has recently issued notifications of the non-renewal of approval under EU regulations of 4 key plant protection products: thiacloprid, beta-cyfluthrin, fenamiphos and mancozeb. MRL CHANGES FOLLOWING NON-RENEWAL OF THESE ACTIVE SUBSTANCES Following non-renewal of EU authorizations, the maximum residue levels (MRLs) are generally lowered to the limit of determination (LOD): 0.01 mg/kg. In most cases this will mean that these substances can no longer… +
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  • COLEACP launches new Digital Distance Training

    • 24/04/2020
    • Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
    • Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
    No Comments
    COLEACP is moving from face-to-face training to digital training in the context of COVID-19. To comply with precautionary measures related to COVID-19, for the time being COLEACP has cancelled the organization of group training sessions. As an alternative, digital distance training is the best solution. Digital distance learning cannot entirely replace face-to-face training. However, methods and technologies are now available to achieve a highly satisfactory quality of training. COLEACP has already moved ahead with the launch of Digital Distance Training… +
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  • GLOBALG.A.P. – What You Need to Know

    • 24/04/2020
    • Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
    • Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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    GLOBALG.A.P. has published a set of FAQs relating to COVID-19 for producers with GLOBALG.A.P. Certificates and Certification Bodies. It explains procedures for re-registrations and extensions, and which control points and compliance criteria are directly affected by the GLOBALG.A.P. emergency procedure due to the coronavirus. GLOBALG.A.P. is working on the option of remote inspections and audits for certification bodies and producers: IFA Remote. An initial draft of the IFA Remote solution will soon be published, along with an invitation to join… +
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  • FAO’s information bank

    • 24/04/2020
    • Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
    • Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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    FAO is has a growing range of information resources on COVID-19, available through its dedicated website. Selected information of particular relevance to COLEACP’s members and beneficiaries includes: POLICY BRIEF on COVID-19 and smallholder producers’ access to markets. Immediate impacts tend to be more severe for high-value commodities (perishable products), which are often produced by smallholder farmers. Several countries are putting in place a variety of measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on smallholder producers. This brief builds on… +
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  • Institutional responses

    • 24/04/2020
    • Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
    • Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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    ACP Inter-American Development Bank The IADB has a dedicated website for Latin American and Caribbean businesses in the context of COVID-19. It includes blogs and connection platforms on topics such as ‘Tips to prepare your company for the impact of COVID-19’, and ‘How can the COVID -19 crisis change the private sector for the better?’ coronawestafrica.info The Regional Working Group for Risk Communication and Community Engagement in West and Central Africa has launched an online portal, COVID-19 West and Central… +
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  • What do ACP producers and exporters need most urgently? First survey results

    • 24/04/2020
    • Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
    • Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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    Through an online survey, COLEACP has been asking what support is most urgently needed by the ACP fruit and vegetable sector during the current crisis. Preliminary results from 87 contributors are analysed below. Respondents were asked to prioritise the three most urgent areas where support is needed. Access to finance was clearly regarded as the most urgent area (77.0% of respondents placed this in their top three issues), followed by hygiene and food safety practices (69.0%). Support for storage/processing, logistics… +
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  • COLEACP information on supply and demand for ACP horticultural products

    • 17/04/2020
    • Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
    • Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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    Building on its intra-ACP Fit For Market programmes, COLEACP’s proposed activities in the short term to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will focus on logistics and access to markets. Activities will include: Monitoring and informing the ACP and EU agri-food industry on logistics, trade and market dynamics. Supporting innovative national and international logistics and trade solutions to help ensure the trade in agricultural and food products – matching supply to demand for available logistical routes; diversifying from export… +
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  • Prospects for domestic and regional markets throughout ACP countries

    • 17/04/2020
    • Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
    • Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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    AFRICA A Zimbabwe exporter of fresh vegetables that also sells regionally and locally reports that after 3 days of lockdown, the government relaxed the rules for key sectors: health, agriculture, food manufacturing and distribution. This saw local markets partially open and trade has been going on, although at a slow pace. The bulk of agro-commodity prices have slumped, except for lemons and partially avocado. Farms have been asked to lockdown but operate with housed labour inside the farm. Regarding exports,… +
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