COMESA to establish sanitary centres

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa has begun work to establish three sanitary and phytosanitary centres in the region to promote food safety and harmonise health laws.

COMESA’s Agricultural Marketing Promotion and Regional Integration Project said an additional 15 sanitary and phytosanitary laboratories would be refurbished across the region. The labs are part of Africa’s efforts to enhance regional food products and make them attractive to compete with other goods on the international market.

Sanitary and phytosanitary measures were set by the World Trade Organisation to help governments apply food safety and animal and plant health.

Team leader and Comesa secretariat representative, Thomas Barasa, said a high-powered trio of experts would soon visit member states and identify the three deserving candidates. He said successful bidders should be strategically positioned and accessible to the entire region. "All member states have equal chances to be identified to host one of the three sanitary and phytosanitary centres," he said. "A team made up of a doctor, an expert from food safety and blood health will be visiting all countries to access their candidacy."

Barasa was speaking during a one-day Agricultural Marketing Information System (FAMIS) sensitisation workshop. The workshop brought together farmers, government and the private sector.FAMIS, a Comesa-wide web-based market information system, aims to provide trade advice to farmers throughout the region.

Barasa said the establishment of the centres would also promote intra-Comesa trade as well as international business because goods from the region would be recognised across the world. He said the decision to refurbish 15 out of the 20-member states was considered after a realisation that some countries were already advanced and would not require any assistance.

Training of sanitary and phytosanitary personnel, he said, was already underway in member states to make the project a success and harmonise conflicting standards and measures. "By establishing these centres and refurbishing some, our goods will be of international standard and marketable the world over," Barasa said.

The Herald