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… +
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TRACES allows the centralisation in a database of administrative documents related to the import of goods. It also enables EU Member States to track goods, facilitate control, combat fraud, and protect public, animal and plant health. The new version of the tool – TRACES NT – also allows the centralisation of inspection certificates for organic products, phytosanitary certificates and Common Health Entry Documents for Plants and Plant Products (CHED-PP).
COLEACP supports NPPOs to strengthen their sanitary… +
At its 74th session, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2021 the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV). The IYFV is a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the important role of fruit and vegetables in human nutrition, food security and health, and in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
At the (virtual) Official Launch Event of IYFV 2021 on 15 December 2020, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), QU Dongyu, made an appeal to… +
Sending good wishes in this New Year is strange considering the difficulties that most people are facing. Caught between the pre-pandemic world and the unknown of tomorrow’s society, we must focus on the opportunities for positive change that this situation offers us in order to view life with optimism.
Overall, 2020 has taught us that: The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed and even accelerated the evolution of our society and its manifestations.
The pandemic has increased inequalities all over the world;… +
Session N°2 Grow local: Conquering local markets
21 January 2021, 12h00–14h00 (GMT)
English–French interpretation available
The second session of the Pan African Farmers Organization (PAFO)-COLEACP Innovation Series will focus on ‘Grow local: Conquering local markets’.
Key points for discussion: In serving local markets in value-added products, what are the main challenges encountered by business and SMEs and how can innovation help them to grow?
Are we seeing changes by consumers towards buying local products?
What should public and private sector… +
On 22 December 2020, the national workshop assessment of the mango campaign 2020 was held in Burkina Faso. This event brought together the various stakeholders of the Burkina Faso’s mango sector to learn the satisfactory results of the sector despite the health crisis related to COVID-19 ; and exchange on future actions. Particular attention was paid to the impact of Covid-19 on the campaign, which has caused a decrease in the volumes exported to the international market.… +
As a Covid-19 emergency measure, the European Union is accepting electronic transmissions of phytosanitary certificates (PCs) for imports into the EU (followed by transmission of the paper documents) until 1 February 2021. The UK position was previously unclear, but it is now confirmed that the UK will replicate this measure from 1 January 2021. A Covid-19 easement is in place as part of the Office Control Regulations; the exporter/importer can send a scanned copy of the PC, which the UK’s… +
The UK Government website (www.gov.uk/transition) now provides updated information on Brexit-related changes for businesses, including helpful step-by-step guides to: importing goods from the EU
exporting goods to the EU
moving goods to or from Northern Ireland The Border Operating Model for traders and hauliers has been updated following the UK–EU trade and cooperation agreement, and case studies are provided representing end-to-end scenarios between GB and EU for importing and exporting goods from January 2021. These show not just the journeys… +
Reviewing the business plan
During the second half of 2020, COLEACP’s Fit For Market and NExT Kenya programmes supported five Kenyan SMEs to update their business plan via an in-depth review or coaching. The companies particularly appreciated the detailed support from experts in the horticultural sector. An external view to critically assess the company’s operations and underlying assumptions has been an eye-opener for many SMEs. Joint construction of the business plan and priorities ensures ownership and provides companies with clarity… +
One of COLEACP’s responses to the Covid-19 pandemic was to provide online Business Survival Bootcamps to assist horticultural companies with a critical review of their business performance and cashflow constraints as a direct result of the crisis. A total of 73 Kenyan participants actively participated in these bootcamps during June–July 2020.
As a follow-up, support was available to customise further business support for SMEs under COLEACP’s Fit For Market or NExT Kenya programme. Innovative e-coaching support was designed for horticultural… +
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.… +
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,… +
Lingfield Farm is a family-run horticultural producing company with more than 120 permanent and 300 casual workers. The company was supported by COLEACP to follow a training on « Good hygiene practices and traceability principles » for the technical staff on-site at the company’s premises in Gweru, Zimbabwe. This training aims to refresh and strengthen the staff’s capacities to successfully and systematically meet Food Safety Management requirements of their produce (peas and fine beans) reaching the export market.… +
As part of the STDF/PG/593 project, a training session has started on Monday 21 December aimed at strengthening the technical and pedagogical skills of experts and strategic actors in the Penja pepper value chain.At the end of this training, the participants will be able to act as trainers and coaches, especially for the training courses planned in the framework of this project. The STDF Cameroon project, led by COLEACP, aim to improve the sanitary and phytosanitary quality of Penja pepper.… +
A meeting with representatives of Somali horticultural companies, cooperatives and producers’ associations was organised in December 2020. Inês Bastos (Regional Programme Manager) and Anita Safi Diazila (Project Officer) introduced COLEACP’s ongoing programmes and activities, and learned more about the activities of the different stakeholders. Requests for Fit For Market programme support following the meeting will lead to the signature of Memoranda of Understanding, with subsequent access to group training, to the COLEACP network, and to e-services (e-learning, e-library, e-GAP).
In… +
During 2021 COLEACP will be providing a team of expert consultants to support national/regional initiatives to develop Good Practice Guides for horticultural value chains.
A Good Practice Guide is intended to help all the different actors working in a particular horticultural sector to produce their crops and products under the best sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) conditions. The Guides will harmonise specifications with international SPS standards and the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Plant Protection Practices (GPP) and Good… +
During 2020 the association ratified 118 new members. COLEACP’s membership now totals 488, from European Union and 45 countries across the African, Caribbean and Pacific regions. They range from large-scale operators to SMEs. Among the 118 new members, the highest representation is of ACP producer/exporter/processor groups (53%). The remainder comprise a growing number of professional organisations of ACP producers/exporters and horticultural supply chain support organisations (private/public sector & CSOs); also European importers; service providers; associated operators; and training/research centres &… +
Supporting companies attending international trade fairs in the horticultural sector is one of the activities of COLEACP’s Business Development department. In November and December 2020 we asked COLEACP members and partners to let us know which trade fairs they would like to participate in during 2021, to help us prepare for our future participation in trade fairs and other professional events, in person and virtually. The international trade fairs have adapted to the Covid-19 situation by developing new ways of… +
Following on from COLEACP’s November Brexit workshop and background information document, COLEACP has just published up-to-date information on the Brexit process, and specifically the potential impacts on ACP horticultural producers and exporters. Preparing for the UK’S exit from the EU customs union and single market from 1st January 2021:
Challenges for ACP horticultural exporters – Background Information Document N°2 The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU customs union and single market from 1 January 2021 is part of the “Brexit”… +
Global
Financing the Sustainable Development Goals
The European Investment Bank (10 December)has joined a group of 11 multilateral development banks (MDBs) and the International Monetary Fund to launch the first-ever joint report on Financing the Sustainable Development Goals. The report is released at the end of a critical year, in which the Covid-19 pandemic threatens to reverse progress on the SDGs. In response, the MDBs have collectively mobilised a global response package of US$230 billion between 2020 and 2021 to… +
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) of Cameroon and COLEACP signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 15 December 2020, in the presence of His Excellency Gabriel Mbairobe, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cameroon, Jeremy Knops, General Delegate of COLEACP, and Jean-Marie Sop, COLEACP Secretary-General. This agreement is part of the Fit For Market SPS programme funded by the European Union. It aims to strengthen the national sanitary and phytosanitary system, and especially the implementation of a… +
MARKETS: AFRICA
Kenya and UK sign trade deal
Kenya and the United Kingdom have formally signed a trade agreement ending an era of doing business through protocols of the European Union, from which London will exit at the end of December (FPC Fresh Talk Daily, 9 December). The agreement provides for Kenya’s duty-free, quota-free access to the UK market on specified products, which currently include coffee, tea, fresh vegetables and cut flowers. The deal has also simplified the Rules of… +
Since 2018, COLEACP has organised several group training courses in the DRC on food safety management, traceability, integrated crop protection and the safe use of pesticides. In order to measure the impact of this capacity building and to identify additional needs, a survey was conducted between July and October 2020 among Congolese organisations that participated in the various training courses. 18 organisations that benefited from this training each went on to organise between 2 and 13 training sessions, reaching a… +
The Uganda Fruits and Vegetables Exporters and Producers Association (UFVEPA) is the largest association in Uganda’s horticultural sector, representing 50+ export companies and producer group members. For UFVEPA, this strategic planning exercise, supported by COLEACP, came just at the right time, at the end of the former strategic plan (2015-2020) and when exporters and producers are grappling with the effects of the COVID-19 virus. With the uncertainties posed by the pandemic, a clear strategic roadmap over the next five years… +