Euro 9 million pumped into STOSAR project
Botswana and Mauritius are implementing measures to meet the requirements of the European citrus market, thanks to the ‘ Support Towards the Operationalisation of the SADC Regional Agriculture Policy’ project ( STOSAR).
The project – a collaboration between the European Union ( EU), SADC, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations ( FAO), in partnership with the region’s Centres of Excellence - has delivered several substantive results in its five years of implementation.
Some of these projects include; Tanzania’s accessed avocado markets to India, China and South Africa; Zimbabwe’s recent gained access to the China market to supply fresh citrus.
Namibia on the other hand is negotiating the export of blueberries to South Africa and the Netherlands, as well as the export of table grapes to China; while Zambia is securing the export of blueberries to South Africa and the export of soya bean meal and Stevia to China.
Speaking during the STOSAR Workshop and Business Expo, FAO Sub- Regional Coordinator for Southern Africa, Dr Patrice Talla applauded the European Union for its unwavering support through the European Development Fund ( EDF 11), for providing Euro 9 million to support the operationalisation of the SADC Regional Agricultural Policy ( RAP) aimed at improving the performance of the region’s agricultural sector.
He said that their focus over the past five years was on the sustainable transformation of agriculture in the SADC region through enhanced access to reliable agricultural information and improved trade opportunities.
Dr Talla further shared that through the STOSAR Project, the SADC Agricultural Information Management System was successfully established and launched in September 2023. He said currently, Tanzania and Zambia are taking the lead on this initiative.
For his part Minister of Agriculture, Fidelis Molao said one of the key objectives of the STOSAR Project was to improve market access for agricultural commodities from the region, which was successful.
“The STOSAR project enabled SADC countries to develop capacity for timely and accurate pest risk analysis, both to protect their territories from pests, and to get access to international markets by ensuring compliance with the requirements of importing countries,” Molao observed.
He said the trainings and practical tools provided by the Centres of Excellence have proven invaluable. This was done through the development and adoption of standards such as Commodity- based trade, that are cognisant of the different regional contexts, without compromising safe trade.
Deputy Head of Cooperation Delegation of the European Union to Botswana and SADC, Jose Becerra said that the € 9 million support focussed on three priority areas being, agricultural information management systems; transboundary animal and crop pests and diseases with implications for trade; and food and nutrition security was utilised effectively.
He promised that through STOSAR II the EU will continue “our support” to the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan ( RISDP) 2020- 2030 – which he described as a “comprehensive development and implementation framework” developed to guide the regional integration agenda of the region.
STOSAR II will support value chain actors and improve policy environment to facilitate their access to global markets
with high quality and safe products in line with the principles and approaches to Agro- ecology.
The Expo brought together selected Centres of Excellence and other key stakeholders from the commercial sector, providing a platform for showcasing their products and services.
Twelve stalls exhibited products and they included; CABI, Stellenbosch University, Botswana Vaccine Institute ( BVI), ARCPlant Health and Protection, Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board ( BAMB), African Women Farmers Alliance and National Agricultural Research and Development Institute.