From 24 to 26 July, representatives of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru met at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Andean Community (SGCAN) in Lima (Peru) to learn about and analyse the initial results of the action supported by AL-INVEST Verde for the export of agricultural products to the European Union, executed by IICA (Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture).
The workshop was attended by representatives of the SGCAN, SENASA Peru (National Agricultural Health Service), SENASAG Bolivia (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria e Inocuidad Alimentaria), Agrocalidad of Ecuador (Agencia de Regulación y Control Fito y Zoosanitario), ICA (Colombian Agricultural Institute), IICA and Delegation of the European Union to Peru.
During the first day, the results of the diagnoses on the state of play, capacities and needs of the food safety systems in each of the countries, in which field missions were carried out in recent months, were presented.
On the second day of the workshop, IICA presented the regional project proposal to facilitate compliance with the requirements for export to the European Union and the validation of the proposed activities was carried out, together with the formulation of the indicators.
The workshop concluded on 26 July, with the presence of representatives of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur). The next steps of the action to support CAN countries in adjusting to the requirements for exporting agricultural products to the EU were explained.
Recommendations
During the missions in the Member Countries of the Andean Community, IICA representatives socialised the action with the competent authorities, visited laboratories and held meetings with the guilds of the products under study: quinoa, avocado and ginger, in Peru; quinoa, chestnut and peanut, in Bolivia: cocoa, banana and pitahaya, in Ecuador; and passion fruit, gulupa and avocado, in Colombia.
As a result of these actions, on the occasion of the workshop, some recommendations were presented in relation to the aforementioned products. Amongst others, the difficulties for exports that could be caused by the Regulation on organic production and labelling of organic products and the lack of accredited methods for residues and contaminants.
About AL-INVEST Verde
AL-INVEST Verde is a programme funded by the European Union (EU). Its main objective is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America by supporting the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy. Through Component 2, led by FIIAPP in consortium with IILAThe programme provides assistance for strengthening public policy and multi-stakeholder dialogues on sustainable agricultural and value chains, environmental and labour standards, as well as sustainable trade and economic policy and regulatory frameworks.