News digest: Agri-food markets & production
- 16/12/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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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… +EU MRL changes
- 13/11/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Caribbean, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe
This news provides updates on recent changes to EU maximum residue limits (MRLs) for plant protection products (PPPs). Where an MRL has been lowered, it is important for growers using the PPP to make any necessary adjustments in good time to ensure continued compliance with EU regulations. This may mean adapting production practices (good agricultural practices, GAP) or using alternative control methods. This news also includes a complete list of the MRL changes introduced so far in 2020. If you… +Memorandum signed with Sankuru province in DRC
- 10/11/2020
- Posted by: Emmanuel Bourcelet
- Category: Africa, Democratic Republic Of The Congo, News
COLEACP has signed a Memorandum of Understanding and action plan with the Province of Sankuru in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as part of its Fit For Market Programmes. The aim is to contribute to capacity building of stakeholders in the province’s horticultural sector to improve the quality and quantity of production, and strengthen access to local, regional and international markets. Priority areas of work, defined in phases, are: Identify actors and horticultural activities at the provincial level: improve… +COLEACP and SPEG: awareness sessions on use of ethephon for pineapples exported to the EU
- 02/11/2020
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Africa, Ghana
COLEACP and SPEG (Sea-Freight Pineapple Exporters of Ghana) are collaborating to organise awareness sessions on the appropriate use of ethephon for the export of pineapples to the EU. The first of two sessions took place on the 30th October in Pokrom region, with around 30 producers. Participants included conventional pineapples producers/cooperatives supplying third-party companies exporting to the EU, or exporting themselves to the EU. The session included field and packhouse observation of samples of sprayed fruits reserved from previous exports,… +COLEACP’s Fit For Market programme in action in Rwanda
- 21/09/2020
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Chillies, News, Rwanda
SPICES RWANDA Ltd is a Rwandan company which produces and exports dried African Birds Eye Chilli. The company has implemented a food safety management system to comply with good hygiene practices within its processing unit. As part of its Fit for Market programme, COLEACP is supporting the company to strengthen this system and fully apply the HACCP method (hazard analysis and control of critical points).… +New EU Organic Regulation postponed by one year
- 07/09/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
In a press release issued on 4th September, The European Commission (EC) has announced a proposal to postpone the entry into force of the new organic regulation (EU) 2018/848 from January 2021 to January 2022. The proposal still needs to be ratified by the European Parliament, but seems certain to go ahead. COLEACP welcomes this important move, which was originally requested by Member States, the European Parliament, third countries, and other stakeholders, including the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean Pacific States… +Important update on the expiry of EU PPP approvals in 2019-2022
- 29/06/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
An update on the expiry of EU approval of key Plant Protection Products (PPPs) for ACP countries In the EU, active substances are approved for a maximum period of 10 years under Regulation EC 1107/2009, after which time the approval must be reviewed. The review process is detailed and involves the evaluation of existing (and sometimes new data) against a set of criteria, many of which have changed since the substance was first approved. The schedule for the review of… +Outcome of the UK Global Tariff Consultation
- 12/06/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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 … +Desert Locust situation
- 05/05/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, News
As we all focus on COVID-19, it’s important not to lose sight of other critical issues facing the sector. Of particular concern is the locust crisis in Africa; the forecast is worrying and FAO warns that the impact on food security in the next few months could be devastating. According to the FAO Locust Watch update, the situation in the Horn of Africa remains extremely serious. In Kenya, a new generation of locusts is developing. More eggs will hatch and… +FAO’s information bank
- 24/04/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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… +