Institutional aspects of sanitary and phytosanitary issues in ECOWAS trade

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has accepted trade liberalization and globalization as important policy directions. West African trade with Europe and the United States is already much greater than trade with other developed countries or intra-regional trade, although trading...

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Main Authors: Hughes, J., Bandyopadhyay, Ranajit, Makinde, K., Olembo, S.
Format: Book Chapter
Language:Inglés
Published: 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/90846
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author Hughes, J.
Bandyopadhyay, Ranajit
Makinde, K.
Olembo, S.
author_browse Bandyopadhyay, Ranajit
Hughes, J.
Makinde, K.
Olembo, S.
author_facet Hughes, J.
Bandyopadhyay, Ranajit
Makinde, K.
Olembo, S.
author_sort Hughes, J.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has accepted trade liberalization and globalization as important policy directions. West African trade with Europe and the United States is already much greater than trade with other developed countries or intra-regional trade, although trading with developed countries may entail considerable difficulties due to trade regulations and the need to conform to Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) standards. There is generally a low level of awareness of quality standards among produce exporters in West Africa. SPS focal points are not established in all countries, which makes it difficult for exporters to check on standards and requirements. Frequent changes to standards, excessive procedural requirements, high costs for testing and certification, and a lack of transparency in the application of standards combine to compromise the ability of many countries to comply effectively with SPS. Many West African countries have not upgraded their national SPS systems in response to the introduction of the SPS Agreement, leading to differences between local and international standards that makes meeting standards difficult for firms that do business in multiple markets. There also is insufficient testing capability to meet the needs for international trade and a lack of regional coordination. Standards application is not enforced in a number of countries, but others have set up institutions for testing, certification, and quality control of both domestic products and imported goods. The effectiveness of these agencies often is weak due to inadequate equipment, a dearth of skilled technical personnel, inability to assess risks, inadequate laboratory accreditation, and a lack of enforcement.
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spelling CGSpace908462023-06-08T20:03:32Z Institutional aspects of sanitary and phytosanitary issues in ECOWAS trade Hughes, J. Bandyopadhyay, Ranajit Makinde, K. Olembo, S. ecowas markets sanitary and phytosanitary trade The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has accepted trade liberalization and globalization as important policy directions. West African trade with Europe and the United States is already much greater than trade with other developed countries or intra-regional trade, although trading with developed countries may entail considerable difficulties due to trade regulations and the need to conform to Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) standards. There is generally a low level of awareness of quality standards among produce exporters in West Africa. SPS focal points are not established in all countries, which makes it difficult for exporters to check on standards and requirements. Frequent changes to standards, excessive procedural requirements, high costs for testing and certification, and a lack of transparency in the application of standards combine to compromise the ability of many countries to comply effectively with SPS. Many West African countries have not upgraded their national SPS systems in response to the introduction of the SPS Agreement, leading to differences between local and international standards that makes meeting standards difficult for firms that do business in multiple markets. There also is insufficient testing capability to meet the needs for international trade and a lack of regional coordination. Standards application is not enforced in a number of countries, but others have set up institutions for testing, certification, and quality control of both domestic products and imported goods. The effectiveness of these agencies often is weak due to inadequate equipment, a dearth of skilled technical personnel, inability to assess risks, inadequate laboratory accreditation, and a lack of enforcement. 2008 2018-02-06T12:15:03Z 2018-02-06T12:15:03Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/90846 en Limited Access Hughes, J., Bandyopadhyay, R., Makinde, K. & Olembo, S. (2008). Institutional aspects of sanitary and phytosanitary issues in ECOWAS trade. In J.F. Leslie, R. Bandyopadhyay and A. Viscont, Mycotoxins: detection methods, management, public health and agricultural trade, (p. 335-348). Wallingford: CAB International.
spellingShingle ecowas
markets
sanitary and phytosanitary
trade
Hughes, J.
Bandyopadhyay, Ranajit
Makinde, K.
Olembo, S.
Institutional aspects of sanitary and phytosanitary issues in ECOWAS trade
title Institutional aspects of sanitary and phytosanitary issues in ECOWAS trade
title_full Institutional aspects of sanitary and phytosanitary issues in ECOWAS trade
title_fullStr Institutional aspects of sanitary and phytosanitary issues in ECOWAS trade
title_full_unstemmed Institutional aspects of sanitary and phytosanitary issues in ECOWAS trade
title_short Institutional aspects of sanitary and phytosanitary issues in ECOWAS trade
title_sort institutional aspects of sanitary and phytosanitary issues in ecowas trade
topic ecowas
markets
sanitary and phytosanitary
trade
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/90846
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AT makindek institutionalaspectsofsanitaryandphytosanitaryissuesinecowastrade
AT olembos institutionalaspectsofsanitaryandphytosanitaryissuesinecowastrade