Regional bodies unite to up farming standards
Written by Allan Odhiambo, Business Daily, 23 July 2007
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community (EAC) are collaborating to develop regionally harmonised standards and grades for agricultural products.
Lack of regionally harmonised standards is considered a key constraint to trade in agricultural produce and analysts believe adopting a common ground would boost trade on commodities such as dairy and maize.
According to the Comesa secretariat, dairy products including raw milk; pasteurised milk; Ultra Heat Treated (UHT) milk; yoghurt; butter; dairy ices and airy ice creams are targeted for common standards. Others included are sweetened condensed milk; dried whole milk and skimmed milk powder.
“This should enhance food security and nutrition as maize is a major staple crop and dairy is critical to nutrition and therefore to having a healthy and productive population,” Comesa said in a statement.
This effort is supported by COMESA under the Regional Agricultural Trade Expansion Support (RATES) program, a USAID funded COMESA initiative whose objective is to help create a conducive and predictable regional environment for agricultural trade working together with the COMESA Standards and Quality Assurance Programme (SQA).
RATES, is recognised as an initial pillar of the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which seeks a 6 per cent annual growth in food production by 2015 through increased usage of new technology and inputs such as fertiliser.
CAADP was established by the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU/NEPAD) in July 2003 with special focus on four pillars including; extending area under sustainable land management and reliable water control systems; improving rural infrastructure and trade-related capacities for market access; increasing food supply, reducing hunger and improving response to food emergency crises besides improving agriculture research technology, dissemination and adoption.
National consultations on dairy and maize standards involving a cross-section of stake holders from the public and private sector have been held in twelve COMESA and EAC countries, namely, Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mauritius, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community (EAC) are collaborating to develop regionally harmonised standards and grades for agricultural products.
Lack of regionally harmonised standards is considered a key constraint to trade in agricultural produce and analysts believe adopting a common ground would boost trade on commodities such as dairy and maize.
According to the Comesa secretariat, dairy products including raw milk; pasteurised milk; Ultra Heat Treated (UHT) milk; yoghurt; butter; dairy ices and airy ice creams are targeted for common standards. Others included are sweetened condensed milk; dried whole milk and skimmed milk powder.
“This should enhance food security and nutrition as maize is a major staple crop and dairy is critical to nutrition and therefore to having a healthy and productive population,” Comesa said in a statement.
This effort is supported by COMESA under the Regional Agricultural Trade Expansion Support (RATES) program, a USAID funded COMESA initiative whose objective is to help create a conducive and predictable regional environment for agricultural trade working together with the COMESA Standards and Quality Assurance Programme (SQA).
RATES, is recognised as an initial pillar of the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which seeks a 6 per cent annual growth in food production by 2015 through increased usage of new technology and inputs such as fertiliser.
CAADP was established by the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU/NEPAD) in July 2003 with special focus on four pillars including; extending area under sustainable land management and reliable water control systems; improving rural infrastructure and trade-related capacities for market access; increasing food supply, reducing hunger and improving response to food emergency crises besides improving agriculture research technology, dissemination and adoption.
National consultations on dairy and maize standards involving a cross-section of stake holders from the public and private sector have been held in twelve COMESA and EAC countries, namely, Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mauritius, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.