News digest: Brexit
- 16/03/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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Ghana–UK trade agreement Ghana and the United Kingdom signed a trade agreement worth $1.6 billion on 2 March (Gov.uk, 2 March; Africanews, 3 March), and the legislation came into force on 5 March. The renewed Continuity Agreement will allow duty-free, quota-free access for Ghana to the UK market, and preferential tariff reductions for UK exporters to the Ghanaian market. It means Ghanaian products such as bananas, tinned tuna and cocoa can be traded to Britain without tariffs. The UK Global… +COLEACP support to agricultural private sector in Pacific
- 11/03/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News, Pacific
On March 11, COLEACP invited horticultural stakeholders from the Pacific region’s private sector to participate in an online workshop. The participants introduced themselves, and COLEACP presented its programmes and activities, with a focus on what is planned in the Pacific in the coming weeks and months. Discussions included support for accessing markets; how to set up a sustainable commercial agriculture business model for exports to cover losses from tourism; how to obtain organic certification for products; and the use of… +International Women’s Rights Day 2021
- 08/03/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
Celebrate with PAFO and COLEACP women innovations in the agrifood sector! Women still face too many challenges in finding jobs in the formal economy or starting and developing businesses, due to insufficient conducive policies and normslow rates of land ownership, as well as access and control over resources and limited access to credit. However, women are a significant entrepreneurial force as owners of farms, input supply stores, service delivery businesses, and processing and export firms whose contributions to local, national,… +News digest: Policy
- 17/02/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
GLOBAL UNEP Adaptation Gap Report focuses on nature-based solutions Capping a year that was one of the three warmest on record, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has released its fifth Adaptation Gap Report, finding that although many nations have advanced in adaptation planning, developing countries face a significant gap in adaptation finance (IISD, 25 January). The report places special focus on nature-based solutions that promote protection, sustainable management and restoration of ecosystems. It finds that nature-based solutions must receive significantly… +Finding alternatives to control priority pests and diseases
- 17/02/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Avocados, Capsicum, Caribbean, Kenya, Mangoes, News, Pacific
Research & Innovation activities at COLEACP aim to ensure that solutions are available to farmers to tackle priority pests and diseases Challenges following EU ban on PPPs Every year, the use of many plant protection products (PPPs) is affected by regulatory changes – that is, changes in approvals and Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). This has a direct impact on producers who often must change production methods (good agricultural practices – GAP) to comply with the new rules. Any non-compliances can… +New COLEACP Rapid SPS Assessment Tool – promoting dialogue and engagement
- 09/02/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, Pacific
COLEACP’s new Rapid SPS Assessment Tool (R-SAT) provides an integrative change management model to help competent authorities in ACP countries assess their national sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) systems. At the heart of the model is the facilitation of dialogue and engagement between the key stakeholders, both public and private. In the final stage of developing R-SAT, online training sessions are taking place with SPS experts: one in English in the second half of February, and one in French in the… +COLEACP information meetings for NPPOs
- 09/02/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, Pacific
Further information on TRACES NT COLEACP’s videoconference for National Plant Protection Organisations (NPPOs) on 19 January, on “Use of the European TRACES NT system in ACP countries”, was well attended. Resources The following additional support is available on using TRACES NT: From late March 2021, virtual training courses will be provided by Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF). COLEACP will provide details when more information becomes available. Distance support and training from the TRACES helpdesk is available on request: contact… +COLEACP technical publications in 2020
- 19/01/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Capsicum, Caribbean, Eggplant, Mangoes, Pacific, Pineapples, Tomatoes
Guidelines for ACP national authorities in response to the new EU Phytosanitary Regulation In 2020 COLEACP began to publish a series of guidelines in response to the new Plant Health Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 that came into operation in December 2019. Under the new regime, special measures have been introduced for crops that are a known pathway into the EU of serious pests that could damage agriculture or the environment in Europe. These include capsicum, mango, Solanum (eggplant and tomato), and… +News digest: policy
- 18/01/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
GLOBAL Global Forum for Food and Agriculture goes digital The 13th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture will be the first to be totally digital. The GFFA, 18–22 January, has the theme “How to feed the world in times of pandemics and climate change?”. The annual Berlin-based meeting, hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), is held under the umbrella of International Green Week. Around 2,000 international participants from politics, industry, science and civil society will… +News digest: Agri-food markets & production
- 18/01/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
MARKETS: GLOBAL Overview: Global avocado market The price for avocados on the global market has been rising in recent weeks due to a smaller supply and a shortage of large sizes (Fresh Plaza, 8 January). At the moment, Mexico and Chile dominate the market, but their volumes are declining. In the Netherlands, avocado sales were good during the holidays with stable, high prices. In Germany, due to the pandemic, the volume purchased in the wholesale trade has been reduced, and… +