Support for EU Market Project
By: February 16, 2017 ,The Full Story
The Government has allocated $17 million for the completion of a project to facilitate increased production and more diversified exports of agricultural and agro-processed products to the European Union market.
The allocation to the European Development Fund (EDF) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Capacity Building Project is included in the 2017-18 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives.
For the 2017-18 fiscal year, the project will complete activities aimed at the accreditation of the National Certification Body of Jamaica (NCBJ) to issue certification for ISO 22000 & HACCP, as well as training and witness audit overseas and in Jamaica.
The project had the initial target to build the capacities of testing laboratories of agencies involved in the export of agricultural and agro-processed products to the EU markets; to increase awareness of international standards and technical requirements in the public sector; and to promote the sensitisation of, and dialogue with the private sector on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Sanitary Phyto Sanitary (SPS) issues.
The two-year project, which is funded by the EU, will conclude in June 2017.