Fit for Market programme – Strengthening business competitiveness through more sustainable practices

“Fit For Market” (F4M) is up and running. F4M is part of the 11th intra-ACP indicative programme (2014-2020) between the European Union and the ACP Group of States. It is due to be rolled out over 5 years (2016-2020) with a total budget of € 25 million (of which € 20 million from the European Union). The specific objective is to enable smallholder farmers, producer groups, farmer organisations, and micro, small and medium enterprises, to access international and domestic fruit and vegetable markets by complying with SPS issues and market requirements, in a sustainable framework. The aim is to support these companies, so that they are able to benefit from current and future opportunities on international, regional and national markets.

F4M comes within the scope of COLEACP’s mission to “develop an agricultural and food product sector (especially fruit and vegetables), that is inclusive and sustainable, primarily in the ACP States and between these countries and the European Union”.

The first half of 2016 was marked by the end of the activities of COLEACP’s two flagship programmes, PIP2 and EDES. Thanks to the resources made available by the EDF for these two Programmes between 2010 and 2015, companies supported by COLEACP benefited from a 62% turnover increase, creating thereby 100,000 jobs. Results that paved the way for F4M.

Read the COLEACP annual report