Brussels, 05/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - The International Commission for Food Industries (CIIA) has brought forward proposals for initiatives to help companies in the 80 ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) countries comply with European legislation on residues and to respond to new demands, the CIIA revealed in a press release on 3 November.
The CIIA, the mission of which is to promote the development of the agri-food sector, especially through training, has been chaired by Spain since 18 October. Its term of office will be four years. Egypt, France and Madagascar are the vice-chairs.
The floods which are currently affecting several West and Central African countries, in particular Burkina Faso, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin and Sudan, could hit fruit and vegetable crops and further weaken exports, the CIIA says. Training producers will help them take steps to deal with these natural disasters which are becoming more common with climate change. In addition to training programmes and conducting studies and pre-audits, the CIIA and its partners will help farmers and local intermediary bodies implement structural measures to maintain the competitiveness of agronomy sectors. (L.C./transl.rt)