SPS & exports: USDA’s training

Last week, the USDA, in partnership with CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International) and Texas A&M University, concluded a six-year training programme in Pakistan. The goal of the $4 million endeavour was to promote agriculture exports by strengthening Pakistan’s sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) skills and knowledge.

A total of 27 of Pakistan’s regulatory and scientific officials were trained. Officials were present mostly from the Department of Plant Protection – the federal body responsible for export-related standards – as well as from the Punjab Agriculture Extension department.

Such donor-funded programmes are always welcome in Pakistan, especially when they are refreshingly pragmatic and not mere eyewash. Indeed, Pakistan is nowhere near its fullest potential when it comes to exports, particularly in horticulture (Read “Mango Exports,” published on May 05, 2016), for the very reason that we fail to meet SPS requirements. A programme aimed at this particular weak spot is very welcome, provided that it actually translates into something.

From the event, it appeared that the DPP officials learnt a lot about international standards and would inform policymaking. BR Research spoke to one of the 27 graduates who was affiliated with the Punjab Agriculture Department, who highly praised the learning experience and said that the knowledge would definitely be applied and included into the horticulture policy that is currently in the works (here’s hoping!)

A couple of quick points are worth mentioning. Firstly, there needs to be better coordination between the centre and provinces. The DPP is a federal body, while agriculture is with the provinces. It’s the DPP’s job to know what the international standards are and the provincial Agriculture Department’s job to implement them. Clearly, this has been lacking thus far, and may persist going forward as well.

Secondly, although the USDA programme did provide technical assistance, training, and support, it did not have a component of identifying export markets and creating the linkages between local growers and foreign buyers. Yes, we now know what standards our produce must meet, but who will connect our local growers with the international buyers? Similarly, the programme does strengthen the DPP by imparting skills, knowledge, and training, but it does not build the institution’s capacity.

Perhaps this column has become too cynical over the passage of time, and maybe we should just see a good thing as a good thing and not complain too much. We’ll thus close with our earlier statement: such donor-funded programmes are always welcome in Pakistan, especially when they are refreshingly pragmatic and not mere eyewash. Here’s hoping!