News Digest: Agri-food Markets, Production and Trade
- 11/04/2022
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: ACP EN, News
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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… +News digest: Agri-food Systems and Sustainability
- 08/04/2022
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: ACP EN, News
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… +Development of Good Practice Guide on Avocado
- 15/12/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Avocados, Kenya, News
The Kenyan avocado sector Kenya is one of the fastest growing fresh produce exporters in the world – and avocado is the world’s fastest growing fruit in popularity. Global avocado production increased by 72% in the past 10 years (FAOSTAT). In 2019, Kenya produced an estimated 365,000 metric tonnes of avocado, which represents a 100% increase compared to 2016 (FAOSTAT). The majority of Kenyan avocados are grown by small-scale farmers who each manage 10–200 trees. Kenyan export volumes of avocados… +Côte d’Ivoire: Priority action plan using R-SAT
- 05/11/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, News
The COLEACP Rapid Assessment Tool (R-SAT) is a practical step-by-step guide to help competent authorities work with private sector stakeholders to conduct a rapid assessment of the status and functioning of SPS systems. Through the Fit For Market SPS programme, Côte d’Ivoire is among the first countries where the R-SAT tool has been used. During a launch workshop in June 2021, the decision was taken to apply the tool to the national control system in the Capsicum sector, both for… +Smart innovation: Update on the DeSIRA-LIFT project
- 25/10/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, News
The European Union’s DeSIRA programme is working towards the Development of Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture. Launched in June 2021 with funding from the European Commission (DG INTPA), the DeSIRA-LIFT project, “Leveraging the DeSIRA initiative for agri-food systems transformation”, aims to support the programme’s current and future activities in order to enhance its impacts. The EC funding is €6,500,000 for a duration of 3 years (June 2021–May 2024). The specific objectives of DeSIRA-LIFT are: Supporting country-based DeSIRA project actors… +Government of Uganda, private sector and EU discuss opportunities for horticultural exports
- 30/09/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Africa, News, Uganda
On 22 September, the EU Delegation in Uganda organised a trialogue between the Government of Uganda, the Ugandan private sector and the European Union to discuss “Challenges and opportunities for Ugandan horticultural exports to Europe”. Europeans hold Ugandan products in high regard, but some issues regarding standards and quality have led to increased controls at EU borders for products coming from Uganda. This represents a great loss for the Government and for the private sector. The meeting identified and discussed… +EU approval not renewed for three key PPPs and other changes notified to WTO
- 07/09/2021
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, Pacific, Uncategorized
Key points Alpha-cypermethrin is no longer approved within the European Union (EU) since 7 June 2021. EU approval was not renewed in 2020 and it also expired in 2021 for two other key plant protection products (PPPs): — mancozeb (since 5 January 2021); and — pencycuron (since 31 May 2021). The EU notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of its intention not to renew three key PPPs: — indoxacarb (notification: 2 August 2021; open for comments until 1 October 2021);… +Côte d’Ivoire Delegation and COLEACP meeting in Brussels
- 15/07/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Côte d'Ivoire, News
On 12 July, a working meeting between the Côte d’Ivoire Delegation and COLEACP gave the association the opportunity to present its activities and priorities related to the agriculture and agri-food sector in Côte d’Ivoire, a key partner country for COLEACP, and to discuss its support to the planned EU-West Africa (EU-WA) business forum. COLEACP was represented by Jeremy Knops, General Delegate; Nursel Gumusboga, Regional Programme Manager; and Isolina Boto, Head of Networks and Alliances. Composed of representatives of Côte d’Ivoire… +Virtual information workshop on the new EU SPS regulation
- 07/07/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Burundi, News
COLEACP organised, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock of Burundi (MINEAGRIE) and the Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burundi (CFCIB), a virtual information workshop on the new EU SPS regulation on 25 June. The objective of the workshop was to inform and sensitise public and private stakeholders in the Burundian horticultural sector on the SPS regulatory requirements for exports of horticultural products to the EU, and to set up a public-private working group that… +Understanding the new EU Organic Regulation
- 24/06/2021
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: Apples, Avocados, Bananas, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Capsicum, Cassava, Chillies, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Ethnic vegetables, French beans, Ginger, Guinea, Lettuces, Madagascar, Mali, Mangoes, Mangosteens, News, Okra, Onions, Papayas, Passion fruit, Pears, Pepper, Plantains, Rwanda, Senegal, Shallots, Spinach, Sweet potatoes, Togo, Tomatoes
COLEACP organised an online workshop on 15 June to present the changes and potential impacts of the new European Union (EU) Organic Regulation 2018/848, which will enter into force in January 2022. The workshop brought together 80 participants, COLEACP partners involved in the production and export of organic fruit and vegetables. They were given a presentation by Michel Reynaud, Board Member of IFOAM Organics Europe and Vice President of Ecocert, who reviewed the main changes of the new regulation that… +