The DeSIRA-LIFT project, “Leveraging the DeSIRA initiative for agri-food systems transformation” aims at enhancing the impacts of the DeSIRA programme which supports the Development of Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture. DeSIRA-LIFT is a 3 year project (June 2021–May 2024) funded by the European Commission (DG INTPA) and implemented by Agrinatura.
COLEACP is the lead of the second service area, working closely with African research organisations in areas contributing to sustainable agriculture and food systems. A major area of work… +
A one-day Eggplant R-SAT Validation Workshop was held on 24 May 2022, in Paramarbio, bringing together 20 key representatives from the public and private horticulture sector to present results of the application of the R-SAT tool to the SPS control system and to identify priority activities. The workshop was delivered by COLEACP and CAHFSA in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries of the Republic of Suriname.
Prior to this workshop, the COLEACP expert team-initiated dialogue and… +
Representatives of the Somali Bureau of Standards (SoBS) and the Somali Agricultural Regulatory Inspection Service (SARIS) will be visiting Nairobi between 23and 28 May. The aim of the tour is to reinforce the capacity of Somalia’s competent authorities to better understand the agricultural regulatory and standard development processes. Their objectives are to learn how standardisation and conformity assessments are done in Kenya, and how the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) works. The visit will include a meeting with the Kenya… +
Changes were made in 2020 to the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard (Rainforest Alliance – version 1.1 – June 2020). The 2020 Certification Program builds on the previous Rainforest Alliance and UTZ certification programmes. However, this does not represent a simple update of either programme. The Rainforest Alliance 2020 Certification Program contains new requirements for farm and supply chain certificate holders as well as certification and quality assurance system rules. As of 1 January 2023, previous versions of the standard… +
A training workshop on the Togolese organic agriculture standard and the local organic certification process for member companies of the National Association for Organic Agriculture in Togo (ANABIO) was held from 3 to 5 May 2022 in Lomé.
Thirty-four (34) participants from about twenty horticultural companies took part in this training whose main objectives were to (i) train on the concept of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) and the Togolese regulatory requirements for the production, processing, and distribution of organic… +
COLEACP organised a training session on the theme of “Accounting, determination of operating costs and decision support tools”. The activity took place within the framework of the INOE 2000 project, in partnership with UNIDO.
Access to new markets requires a precise profitability analysis to evaluate the costs of compliance with new market requirements. In previous training courses, it has been noted that the profitability of a company is often not estimated sufficiently accurately. An incorrect estimation of the cost of… +
After a long but necessary delay, we were happy to represent the EU-funded Fit For Market SPS and Fit For Market Plus programmes at two trade fairs, as well as the NExT Kenya programme, and to meet up again with our members and partners.
Numbers were up at Macfrut 2022
The international trade show for the fresh produce industry, held from May 4 to 6 at Rimini Expo Center, registered 38,500 visitors, an increase of +18% compared to the edition… +
The external mid-term evaluation of the FFM and FFM SPS programmes was conducted between September and November 2021. The evaluation methodology consisted of document review, design, dissemination and analysis of a survey with a representative sample of partner-beneficiaries – 89 invited with a 91% response rate, and interviews with a multitude of stakeholders – national, regional and/or supranational.
The main findings of the final evaluation report were very positive, indicating that more than 90% of the partner-recipients interviewed during the… +
In Njombé, Cameroon, from 26 to 28 April, a three-day training session on good sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) practices and control points was organised for the Penja pepper value chain, specifically for internal controllers/auditors and for the inspection and control services of competent authorities. The training was organised by COLEACP in the framework of the Fit For Market SPS programme and the STDF Cameroon project.
The training session aimed to: define internal controls and the role of the inspector in… +
In November 2020, the Pan-African Farmers’ Organization (PAFO) and COLEACP launched the Innovations Series on innovations and successes of African farmer-led businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
SMEs, despite the numerous challenges they face, have unprecedented opportunities to supply local, regional and export markets. Moreover, innovation is a driving force in transforming food systems, promoting sustainable agriculture and leveraging investment.
In this context, PAFO and COLEACP hold a two-hour session, every two months, to share best practices from entrepreneurs,… +
Suite au lancement en février du projet “Appui à la transition agroécologique de la filière ananas au Bénin” [qui fait partie du programme DEFIA (Développement de l’Entreprenariat dans la Filière Ananas) géré et financé par Enabel], plusieurs groupes ont exprimé leur intérêt à bénéficier de l’appui du projet.
Le 12 avril, une séance d’information et de sensibilisation a donc été organisée pour ces groupes afin de discuter des fondements, des règles et principes, des exigences et des contraintes de l’agriculture… +
In the framework of the development cooperation between the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union, the OACPS and the Directorate General INTPA of the European Commission have entrusted COLEACP with the implementation of the new Fit For Market + (FFM+) programme.
FFM+ has been designed and will be implemented in line with the FFM programmes and the results of COLEACP’s COVID action plan from March 2020. This 5-year €25 million programme is funded by… +
This new market study, researched and published by COLEACP’s Market Insights service through the Fit For Market and Fit For Market SPS programmes, provides a detailed overview of the current situation and potential for development of the fruit and vegetable sector in ACP countries in the Caribbean region.
The study includes a comprehensive analysis of import and export flows with the main trading partners of the ACP Caribbean countries, and is also a marketing tool to assist exporters and importers… +
Key points
The European Commission (EC) has recently issued notification of changes to 10 plant protection product (PPP) approvals within the European Union (EU), some of which are important for ACP horticulture. These include: Non-renewal of flubendiamide, spinetoram and spirotetramat
Notification to the WTO of its intention to renew the approval of bifenzate How will ACP producers/exporters be affected?
Flubendiamide, spinetoram and spirotetramat approvals will expire in 2024, after which time they can no longer be used in EU countries.… +
As part of the project “Support to the agroecological transition of the pineapple sector in Benin”, COLEACP organised a training of trainer’s session in Cotonou from 28 to 30 March 2022.
About twenty selected experts participated in this session, which is part of a training cycle planned in three stages and which aims to strengthen the skills of relay experts on technical and pedagogical subjects so that they can subsequently accompany DEFIA’s partner clusters in their agro-ecological transition projects.
This… +
In 2021, OECD Fruit and Vegetables Scheme and COLEACP launched the Fruit and Vegetables Industry Series to highlight the significance of the sector and to celebrate the United Nations 2021 International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (F&V).
The series aims to share knowledge of both local and export markets and operators; enhance understanding of the sector’s contribution to sustainable production and consumption; promote the contribution of fruit and vegetables to healthy and nutritious diets; and showcase successes and innovations of… +
Within their collaboration to develop a more sustainable and resilient agriculture sector in the Caribbean region, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and COLEACP launched in June 2021 the Caribbean Agrifood Business Series aimed at showcasing innovations and successes of Caribbean farmer-led businesses and SMEs.
5 sessions have been held gathering more than 1,200 participants from more than 70 countries on different continents. The sessions are available for viewing in English, French and Spanish on COLEACP’s YouTube channel.… +
Through the NExT Kenya programme, COLEACP has been providing training for Kenyan companies on the GLOBALG.A.P. Standard (Modalities and Checklists).
By the end of 2021, about 16 Kenyan participants from nine horticultural companies had successfully completed the training.
A representative of one participating company, Elmas Greens Limited, says:
“The company situation has changed and the GlobalG.A.P. standard is a gateway to the EU market, hence training on GlobalG.A.P. standards is under way for more staff involved in food safety.”
Over… +
Interveg EPZ Ltd is a Kenyan company, established in 2005, that exports vegetables to the European Union. The company’s packing facilities are located at the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Athi River, Kenya.
Following participation in our Performance Management training in July 2021, one of the company’s directors realised that Interveg faces challenges and gaps in terms of human resources (HR) policy.
As a follow up, the director met the NExT Kenya programme unit at COLEACP’s Nairobi office. An individual… +
Changes to EU pesticide maximum residue levels
Since the start of 2022, we have been highlighting significant changes to EU MRLs that affect 23 active substances, 9 of which are important for ACP export horticulture.
The European Commission has also recently notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of some additional proposed changes involving a further 5 substances, including 1 that is key for ACP horticulture (hexythiazox).
How will ACP producers/exporters be affected?
Changes to EU Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) also… +
IMPACTS OF WAR IN UKRAINE
EU sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine
The EU has responded to Russia’s military attack against Ukraine by adopting a comprehensive and robust package of restrictive sanctions. The sanctions are listed here.
Source: European Commission, 2022
Russian invasion causes South African citrus issues
South Africa’s Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA) says it is working closely with exporters, government and other stakeholders across the value chain to mitigate the impact that the Russian invasion of… +
Climate
IPCC issues bleakest warning yet on climate breakdown
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has published its latest report on the state of the climate crisis. It states that climate breakdown is accelerating rapidly and many of the impacts will be more severe than predicted. Everywhere is affected, with no inhabited region escaping dire impacts from rising temperatures and increasingly extreme weather. About half the global population – between 3.3 and 3.6 billion people – live in areas… +
Two recent webinars focused on agrifood businesses in the Caribbean and Africa: “Agriculture trade: Opportunities for SMEs and businesses in export markets” (with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, IICA); and “Catalysing young African agri-entrepreneurs’ investments” (with the Pan-African Farmers’ Organization, PAFO).
Agriculture trade: Opportunities for SMEs and businesses in export markets IICA-COLEACP Caribbean Agrifood Business Series: Session No. 5
This series focuses on innovations and successes of Caribbean farmer-led businesses and SMEs. The 31 March session highlighted the… +
The European Business Chamber in Trinidad and Tobago (EUROCHAMTT) and COLEACP have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in delivering group training and promotion of market opportunities to the members of EUROCHAMTT and other fruit and vegetable producers in Trinidad and Tobago. The collaboration will benefit from EUROCHAMTT’s expertise, knowledge and networks in the horticulture sector in Trinidad and Tobago, and COLEACP’s experience throughout ACP countries and at EU level.
The focus will be on capacity building and supporting… +