Monday 8 May 2023 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Economy, National
The Export Plan was one of the outcomes of the Enhanced Pacific Market Access Partnership (EPMAP) and Phytosanitary Certificate System Workshop that was held last month.
Ministry for Agriculture biosecurity director Ngatoko Ngatoko said the Export Plan describes the activities that will be undertaken to meet the phytosanitary requirements for the export of fresh fruit and vegetables for human consumption to New Zealand.
Ngatoko says this includes details on how measures will be implemented and the system components to support effective management and verification of activities.
He confirmed that the signing of the Export Plan will be held later in the year once both parties agree to the activities specified under the plan.
The weeklong workshop held in April focused on ways to help export Cook Islands products to New Zealand and other overseas markets.
Some recommendations that were made included:
Ngatoko explained Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE) is a process that assesses the capacity and capability of a National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) to fulfil the required functions identified in the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).
“The aim of this project is to conduct a PCE and compare the findings with the first PCE review conducted in 2008. The review will identify capacity gaps and opportunities, and prepare a plan to address these gaps where possible.”
Ngatoko said this included the biosecurity system of border protection (preventing new pests arriving in a country), in-country pest management (managing pests present in a country), and export trade (preventing pests moving in international trade).
A follow up workshop will be held from August 14 to 18 and Pa Enua growers are expected to be involved.