The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), with support from Trade Mark Africa (TMA), is seeking registration / accreditation to offer Global Good Agricultural Practice (G.A.P) certification to enhance global market access and trade facilitation through reducing the cost of doing business for farmers.

Global GAP is an internationally recognised farm assurance program, translating consumer requirements into Good Agricultural Practice. It is a privately owned certification scheme, mainly offered by private certification bodies at a price range of between USD 10,000 to USD 25,000 per farm, because it requires getting auditors from outside Uganda which is costly, coupled with limited awareness in the Agricultural sector.

However, once UNBS acquires the Global G.A.P certification registration, the cost of acquiring Global G.A.P certification will be tremendously reduced to less than USD 4000, allowing majority of Ugandan farmers and exporters to meet international food safety and quality requirements leading to access of premium markets in Europe and North America.

Currently, there are less than 10 Ugandan companies with valid Global G.A.P certifications, and the above intervention to reduce the cost of Global G.A.P certification will see this number increase, improving Uganda’s
capacity to leverage and maximize its horticultural export potential.

Availability of affordable Global G.A.P certification within the country will further ensure import substitution of certification services by increasing market access and competitiveness of Uganda’s fresh produce globally,
thus promoting export promotion in line with Vision 2040 and NDP IV.

Thus, UNBS together with MAAIF staff and selected farmers in collaboration with TradeMark Africa (TMA) under the Standards Partnership Project, are undertaking capacity building programs in line with the Global G.A.P Version 6 Integrated Farm Assurance certification scheme, aimed at equipping staff and selected farmers with necessary knowledge and skills, to enhance implementation of relevant farm assurance standards, which is key in meeting export requirements for fresh agricultural produce.

Implementation of the relevant farm assurance standards will, in the long run, contribute to enhancing Uganda’s GDP basing on a July 2023 study by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), which indicates that standardization contributes 23.7% of Uganda’s GDP and economic growth annually.

UNBS is also carrying out awareness creation about the benefits of standards among producers and exporters of fresh agricultural produce in the four regions Uganda; Lira for Northern Uganda, Mbarara for Western Uganda, Masaka for central Uganda and Mbale for Eastern Uganda.

With an objective to promote sustainable agriculture worldwide, that guarantees retailers and consumers standardised criteria on food safety, Global G.A.P outlines international standards that act as a safeguard for
food safety, workers’ health and safety, animal welfare, and environmental protection. The focus is on
international standards for producers of agricultural produce, floriculture, livestock, aquaculture, compound
feed and supply chains. This means Global GAP applies to primary crop producers like fruit and vegetables,
flowers and ornamentals, hops and herbs, livestock such as cattle, pigs, poultry, and turkey as well as
aquaculture (fish and fish farming).

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of TradeMark Africa.