G/SPS/GEN/1258  
 
24 June 2013  
(13-3246)  Page: 1/3  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
 INFORMATION ON SPS-RELATED RECENT AND FORTHCOMING ASSISTANCE AND 
OTHER ACTIVITIES FROM THE INTE RNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE (ITC) 
(MARCH–JUNE 2013) 
The following communication, received on 21 June 2013, is being circulated at the request of the 
ITC. 
 
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  The International Trade Centre is continuing its efforts to assist enterprises to meet technical 
requirements. An update of the projects of interest to the SPS Committee is provided herewith. 
 1  PROJECTS 
1.1  EIF - Sector Competitiveness and Export  Diversification in The Gambia (2012-2015) 
1.1.  In this project, technical barriers hinderin g market access of Gambian exports of groundnuts, 
cashew nuts, and sesame are being addresse d. The activities conducted so far are: 
a. Training on ISO 17025 and quality documentation has been provided to 16 laboratory 
technicians; 
b. A training workshop on standard developmen t procedures based on the Code of Good 
Practice of the TBT Agreement was organised for the technical committee members of 
the Gambia Bureau of Standards; 
c. A one-day sensitisation workshop on the control of pre-packages according to OIML 
Recommendations was organised for staff of the Weights and Measures Department; 
d. A manual for quality control of groundnuts for quality control inspectors has been 
developed; 
e. A Quality Assurance Framework has been finalised for cashew nuts and sesame after a 
validation workshop held in February 2013; 
f. The implementation of Farmer Field Schools has started by the preparation of training 
materials and a Master Trainers Training course held from 8 to 15 June 2013; and 
g. Assistance to enhancing food safety of groundnuts through implementation of HACCP
1 
and pre-requisites such as GAP2 and GMP3 is due to start in September. 
1.2  STDF/PG/172: "Expanding Nigeria's ex port of sesame seeds and sheanut/butter 
through improved SPS capacity buildi ng for private and public sector" 
1.2.  The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) is the implementing agency of the STDF 172 
project with ITC as supervisory agency. Four site s have been completed with the installation of 
equipment. The project activities, in particular the training on HACCP on the sites newly built, has 
been postponed from April to July/August 2013 due to the change in the project management 
structure of NEPC. 
                                               
1 Hazard Analysis and Cr itical Cont rol Points. 
2 Good Agricultural Practice. 
3 Good Manufacturing Practice. G/SPS/GEN/1258 
 
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  1.3  STDF/PG/354: "Improving Safety and Quality of Sri Lankan Fruits and Vegetables" 
1.3.  The project has the objective to analyze SPS constraints along the value chains, enhance 
public and private sector stakeholders' capacity to meet international SPS requirements and improve public-private cooperation. The project is  implemented by ITC in close coordination at 
national level with the Ceylon Chambers of Commerce (2013-2015). A Memorandum of 
Understanding between ITC and CCC was signed  on 10 June 2013. Through the grant and 
activities conducted within the framework of STDG/PG/354, ITC is committed to contribute to 
strengthening the CCC's capacity in assisting the pr ivate sector in Sri Lanka to enhance its export 
capacity. The value chain analysis of selected cr ops is due to start in July 2013 and the kick-off 
workshop is planned for the first week of September 2013. 
1.4  Fiji "Improving key services to agriculture" 
1.4.  An EU programme, funded from the Mult i-Annual Indicative Programme on Accompanying 
Measures for Sugar (AAP2011), implemented by ITC and the Secretariat of the Pacific Communities (SPC), aims at improvement of key services to non-sugar agriculture in order to 
improve and consolidate farming systems in Fiji with the ultimate goal of income generation 
through alternative livelihoods for poverty alleviation. 
1.5.  The food safety component is currently focu sing on (i) building the capacity of enterprises 
and local Trainers Counsellors (TcCs) to comply with and advise on food safety requirements 
(Fiji Food Act, HACCP, GAP); and (ii) setting up a system of registration for trainers, advisory and 
training services in the area of food safety. In particular: 
 Nine Trainer-Counsellors (TCs) are participating in training and coaching on food safety 
standards. 
 Nine enterprises are currently participating in the project, and also participated in trainings 
and received advisory services. 
 The TCs have completed six draft Food Safety "Gap Analyses" (i.e. measuring the 
enterprise's current status in food safety standards relative to requirements for desired markets) and draft plans for implementing food safety systems for six local agri-
enterprises. 
 The next mission of the international consultant on food safety is planned from 28 June to 
15 July 2013. Further assistance (classroom training and field visit) to the enterprises to implement HACCP and GAP, coaching of the TC s and further sensitization on food hygiene 
and food safety will be delivered.  
1.5  EIF Lesotho - Horticulture Productivity and Trade Development Project 1.6.  This project aims at contributing to th e enhancement of Lesotho's sustainable economic 
growth, employment, food security, and poverty a lleviation through building and strengthening the 
capacity of smallholder producers to commercialize, diversify, and promote production of fresh fruits and vegetables (FFVs) for export markets. A first mission was conducted in May 2013 to 
develop operational work plans with the heads/directors of lead departments involved in the 
project, and to assess the needs the Department of Standards and Quality Assurance (DSQA) and 
the testing laboratories to support the FFV sector. 
1.6  Workshops on Export Quality Manage ment, Nepal in collaboration with PTB 
1.7.  Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB),  the national metrology institute of Germany, 
and ITC jointly conducted two-day workshops on Export Quality Management in Nepal on: 
 11-12 June, Kathmandou; and 
 13-15 June, Pokhara. 
1.8.  More than 25 participants from various manufacturing sectors participated in the workshop in 
Kathmandou and more than 25 from the food and agriculture sectors (tea and coffee, honey, 
ginger, dairy products, noodles and biscuits) in the workshop in Pokhara. Participants gained a 
working knowledge, inter alia , on quality, the nature of technical requirements (standards, 
technical regulations, SPS measures), the fundam entals of conformity assessment, metrology and 
accreditation that would enable them to plan for the export of their products to major regional or G/SPS/GEN/1258 
 
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  international markets. The workshops were presented within the framework of SAARC – 
PTB cooperation on quality infrastructure in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Federati on of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and 
Industry (FNCCI) and other local partners, and ITC. The ITC/PTB publication: "Export Quality 
Management: A Guide for Small and Medium-Sized Exporters" was used as background material 
for the training and copies were distributed to the participants. 
2  OTHER ITC PROJECTS OF INTEREST 
2.1  Non-Tariff Measures (NTM) project 
2.1.  This project aims to increase transparency and understanding of NTMs – in order to facilitate 
trade in the long-run. It helps countries to understand the non-tariff obstacles to trade faced by their business sector, and assists in defining strategies and solutions that meet their exporters' 
needs to speed up and ease cross-border trade. This project is implemented with the close 
collaboration of ministries, export promotion agencies, research institutes, business associations and local experts in each country. 
2.2.  ITC has launched large-scale company su rveys on NTMs and obstacles to trade in 
23 developing countries worldwide. As of early June 2013, the results of the survey have been thoroughly analysed and discussed in 19 countries in public-private dialogue. These stakeholder 
workshops have validated the survey results an d elaborated technical recommendations, policy 
options and practical solutions for problems repo rted by the private sector. The results of the 
workshops are used to finalize detailed country re ports. Such reports are currently available for 
five countries (Burkina Faso, Malawi, Morocco, Peru and Sri Lanka) and accessible at 
http://www.intracen.org/publicationlist.aspx?taxid=2314 . 
2.3.  For example, the stakeholder workshop  in Jamaica brought together more than 
100 participants from the public and private sectors of Jamaica. The meeting was opened by 
Senator Arnold J. Nicholson, QC - Minister of Fo reign Affairs and Foreign Trade. One of the main 
recommendations suggested that effort needed to be exerted collaboratively between governmental export facilitating agencies (in partic ular, the Bureau of Standards) and exporters to 
attain HACCP certification/recognition, especially steps to reduce the cost of the process where 
possible. 
2.4.  For more information about NTM project, please contact ntm@intracen.org . 
For more information: 
Ludovica Ghizzoni, ITC Adviser on Export Quality Management  
Tel: +41 22 730 06 38 - Fax: +41 22 730 05 76 - E-mail: ghizzoni@intracen.org  
Khemraj Ramful, ITC Senior Adviser on Export Quality Management  
Tel: +41 22 730 04 87 - Fax: +41 22 730 05 76 - E-mail: ramful@intracen.org  
Web address: http://www.intracen.org/exporters/quality-management/  
E-mail address: quality@intracen.org  
 
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