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Tinashe Makichi Business Reporter
Intra-COMESA trade in grains is set to improve following the launch of a roadmap to address differences in standards and regulations that impede regional trade in maize.
In trying to achieve sustainable trade in grains, a Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Mutual Recognition Framework was launched in Uganda this month aimed at providing equivalence of analytical results and recognition of certificates of analysis issued by laboratories of the participating countries.
This is set to eliminate the need for multiple testing by both exporting and importing countries. The framework was developed by COMESA Secretariat in partnership with six nations with significant maize trade.
The nations comprise Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
COMESA Director for Agriculture and Industry Mr Thierry Kalonji said lack of mutual recognition of technical standards and conformity assessment was a persistent non-tariff barrier.
“COMESA Secretariat initiated the framework in recognition of the fact that regulatory barriers are sometimes a result of varied technical capacities in public and private sector entities across the region.
“Without mutual recognition of standards and certificates of analysis, regulatory barriers persist causing an unpredictable regulatory environment that comes at a high cost to traders and contributes to the growing informal trade, now estimated at over 80 percent in some countries,” said Mr Kalonji. The key components of the new framework is a common grading criteria, proficiency testing for Aflatoxin analysis and a risk based sampling protocol. Mr Kalonji said countries with developed food control systems usually face difficulties trading with those with weak systems and staple foods crossing borders are subjected to conformity assessment procedures that come at high cost to traders.
Standards Quality Assurance Consultant at COMESA Secretariat Dr Mukayi Musarurwa also said the initiative was meant to facilitate greater flexibility where regulatory frameworks differ.
“The MRF will be a central instrument in driving deeper levels of regulatory policy coordination and integration between Member States in COMESA. It will facilitate a more seamless trans-regional market and underscore objectives for a functional Free Trade Area and Common Market,” said Dr Musarurwa.
The MRF will be domesticated and implemented in the member states through Mutual Recognition Agreements for conformity assessment. The agreements will entail Member States accepting each other’s conformity assessment and grading systems in order to avoid subjecting maize products to unnecessary and overlapping conformity assessment and grading procedures in both the exporting and importing country.
Operation Wealth Creation chairperson General Salim Saleh who represented the Grain Council of Uganda, commended the COMESA led initiative as timely as problems encountered in the market were common and needed collective action.
“We have great unexploited potential to feed the region but as you know, food safety and technical standards remain one of the bottlenecks that we grapple with on a daily basis,” said Gen Saleh.
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