EAC experts explore implementation of harmonised standards

By Konrad Kodjo Djaisi

 

Over 60 top leaders and experts in the grains and food standards sector -- including state government officials, the private sector, academia, researchers and international agencies -- have convened in Nairobi to discuss the recently gazetted East African Community (EAC) standards and their effects on the grains sector.

The meeting was officially opened by the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Kenya, Felix Koskei, and participants explored the best implementation and adoption strategies.

The EAC Harmonised Grades and Standards have recently been enacted after high consultative discussions with stakeholders in the region. The standards were gazetted on December 6, 2013 and the enacted standards affect the various grains and pulses, namely maize, wheat, milled rice, pearl millet, chick peas and pigeon peas.

Others include cow peas, dry whole peas, lentils, sorghum, finger millet, dry split peas, dry soy beans, faba beans and brown rice among others.

The regulations are geared toward promoting regional trade, which is one of the key protocols and agenda for the

community. Trade between the EAC countries has doubled to US$4billion in 2013, compared to US$2billion in 2010.

The bloc has also registered growth in foreign direct investment from US$2.6billion in 2010 to US$3.8billion in 2013. In addition, the EAC was rated the fastest-growing region in the recent Africa Development Bank statistics, hence the dire need for harmonisation of standards in the region.

At the meeting, experts agreed that standards are crucial for increasing efficiency -- while efficiency is crucial for success in today’s challenging and competitive economic environment. The issue of grain standards has drawn a lot attention as global and regional economies are challenged with sustainability and financial uncertainty.

The adoption and implementation of these standards is expected to deliver a number of benefits, including increasing transparency, formalisation of the language of trade, and generating natural performance incentives whereby grain processors who pay a premium for higher quality products can eliminate costly additional processing steps and access higher prices and long-term contracts.

Additionally, the standards are expected to promote fair trade and enhance transparency for increased trade in staple foods, promote trade in quality grains and enhance adoption of structured trading systems, while improving food safety and hygiene.

The Chairman of the Eastern Africa Grain Council, Judah Arap Bett, said 80 percent of the people in Africa and across the world rely on grain for food security and income generation. However, the grain sector in eastern Africa is faced with the challenge of losses and poor quality of grains, thus increasing the risks to most of the population in Kenya and Africa in general.

“The growth in regional trade, blossoming of the grain sector and improved food security will not be possible without grades and standards. For a long time, the lack of grades and standards has been documented as one of the barriers to trade within the region,” he noted.

The Eastern Africa Grain Council is a regional organisation with membership drawn from across eastern and southern Africa. Members of the council cut across the grain value-chain and include all the key players in production, trade and processing in nine countries across Africa including Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.

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