News digest: policy
- 17/12/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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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… +News digest: Agri-food markets & production
- 16/12/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
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… +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 … +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… +Institutional responses
- 24/04/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
ACP Inter-American Development Bank The IADB has a dedicated website for Latin American and Caribbean businesses in the context of COVID-19. It includes blogs and connection platforms on topics such as ‘Tips to prepare your company for the impact of COVID-19’, and ‘How can the COVID -19 crisis change the private sector for the better?’ coronawestafrica.info The Regional Working Group for Risk Communication and Community Engagement in West and Central Africa has launched an online portal, COVID-19 West and Central… +What do ACP producers and exporters need most urgently? First survey results
- 24/04/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
Through an online survey, COLEACP has been asking what support is most urgently needed by the ACP fruit and vegetable sector during the current crisis. Preliminary results from 87 contributors are analysed below. Respondents were asked to prioritise the three most urgent areas where support is needed. Access to finance was clearly regarded as the most urgent area (77.0% of respondents placed this in their top three issues), followed by hygiene and food safety practices (69.0%). Support for storage/processing, logistics… +COLEACP information on supply and demand for ACP horticultural products
- 17/04/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
Building on its intra-ACP Fit For Market programmes, COLEACP’s proposed activities in the short term to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will focus on logistics and access to markets. Activities will include: Monitoring and informing the ACP and EU agri-food industry on logistics, trade and market dynamics. Supporting innovative national and international logistics and trade solutions to help ensure the trade in agricultural and food products – matching supply to demand for available logistical routes; diversifying from export… +Prospects for domestic and regional markets throughout ACP countries
- 17/04/2020
- Posted by: Gaetan Dermien
- Category: Africa, Caribbean, News, Pacific
AFRICA A Zimbabwe exporter of fresh vegetables that also sells regionally and locally reports that after 3 days of lockdown, the government relaxed the rules for key sectors: health, agriculture, food manufacturing and distribution. This saw local markets partially open and trade has been going on, although at a slow pace. The bulk of agro-commodity prices have slumped, except for lemons and partially avocado. Farms have been asked to lockdown but operate with housed labour inside the farm. Regarding exports,… +