According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture in Nairobi on Monday, the move follows the COMESA Council of Ministers at their meeting held at Lusaka, Zambia in December last year, after a decision taken by the COMESA ministers of agriculture held in Seychelles in March last year.
The establishment of the regional SPS reference laboratories is intended to achieve harmonization at regional level in diagnostic techniques and interpretation of results, inspection and conformity assessment procedures and criteria, risk analysis methodologies and information dissemination systems, noted the statement.
Among the functions of the plant include assisting in monitoring the compliance with regional plant disease and pest requirements by countries as well as producer/processor enterprises and oversee appropriating certification process among other tasks.
Recently, KEPHIS received another boost when the European Union financed the construction of an ultra-modern laboratory at its Karen headquarters, at a cost of 350 million shillings ($4.3 million) after it recognized KEPHIS as a competent authority to conduct conformity checks on horticultural produce being exported to the EU.
APA
Post published in: Economy