Project

Support to strengthen the competitiveness and compliance of the ACP horticultural industry to regulatory and/or private requirements of domestic, regional, and international markets through training and technical assistance in the areas of food safety and plant health (Ref: COLEACP/AO/211218)

Location

ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) Countries

Funding body

COLEACP (Liaison Committee Europe-Africa-Caribbean-Pacific for the promotion of ACP horticultural exports) / Various

Date

28/01/2022 – 31/03/2025

Sectors

Description:

The project, within the framework contract signed with COLEACP, has as its main objective to support COLEACP’s technical team with experts with the required expertise that can be mobilized to provide services for the technical implementation of all COLEACP programs, ongoing or future, on topics related to Food Safety and Plant Health.

The COLEACP programs are demand-driven from beneficiaries of ACP countries (enterprises or producer groups, intermediate support structures (public or private), service providers, professional organisations, training centers, inspection services, …), presenting their specific requests for support within each of the programs managed and implemented by COLEACP. COLEACP manages national, regional and international development projects in the ACP agricultural and food sector, financed by donors, such as (among others): 

  • Fit For Market SPS (Strengthening Sanitary and Phytosanitary Systems of the ACP Horticultural Sector), financed by the European Union, with the specific objective to enable smallholders, farmer groups and organisations, and MSMEs to access international and domestic horticultural markets by complying with SPS issues and market requirements, in a sustainable framework.
  • Fit For Market+ (FFM+), financed by the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), to facilitate the transition of ACP horticulture towards more sustainable food systems, addressing the priority areas identified in the Farm to Fork strategy of the European Green Deal.
  • AGRINFO, funded by the European Union, aims to monitor and document EU policies that have a bearing on agricultural value chains in partner countries supplying the EU market, evaluate implications of EU regulatory and non-regulatory measures in value chains in partner countries and disseminate this information to all relevant stakeholders

The activities are carried out considering the digital transformation process at COLEACP and that of the beneficiaries/partners of its programmes, and include trainings, technical assistances, logistic services… related to the following themes:

  • Food safety: Hygiene, Risk analysis, Traceability, Sanitary quality management system, Self-assessment, etc.
  • Plant health: Safe use of pesticides and compliance with MRLs, Management of quarantine pests, Mechanisms for the approval of phytosanitary products, Plant health regulations (local, regional, national, European), National systems of inspection, control and sanitary and phytosanitary certification, etc.