Capacity building programme on pesticides residues and other harmful substances in cocoa in Africa

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Brief Description

The methodology used for the review was the administration of structured questionnaires to establish the current situation regarding SPS in the participating countries. This was followed by the visit of a consultant to the countries to discuss with the various stakeholders on the measures for improving SPS practices. A workshop was organized in Douala, Cameroon to discuss and finalize the proposed project on building capacity for effective SPS practices in the participating countries.

Project Objectives

The objective of the project was to review the existing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) practices along the cocoa supply chain and to establish the capacity of cocoa producing countries in Africa to meet the food safety regulations of cocoa consuming countries. This would help to identify areas of weaknesses for improvement and to develop a project proposal to assist the countries concerned to comply with the food safety requirements of importing countries, thus ensuring a continued market access for cocoa export.

Project Results

The review identified three major areas to be addressed immediately to enhance the capacity of cocoa producing countries to meet international standards. These were quantification of the levels of risk from contaminants affecting the cocoa supply chain; provision of specific information on pesticide science, at all levels in producing countries; and infrastructure to monitor and enforce SPS standards.

A project proposal on “SPS Capacity Building in Africa to Mitigate the Harmful Effects of Pesticide Residues in Cocoa and to Maintain Market Access” was developed and submitted to potential donors for financing.

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