European Union Bans Cameroon's Agricultural Exports to EU

European Union (EU) has barred Cameroon from exporting certain agricultural products to the EU due to poor quality and flaws in the Cameroonian sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) control system. Gabriel Mbarobe, Cameroonian Minister in charge of Agriculture, nonetheless informed the heads of the phytosanitary police stations at the ports of Douala and Kribi, Yaoundé International Airport, and the Postal Service that his administration was "working serenely to prepare technical files in accordance with the new regulation in order to facilitate exports."

The fruit is being blamed for having been exposed to 'certain species and types of flies.' According to the EU, the only way to remedy the situation is to use a systemic approach or post-harvest treatment to ensure that the exported product is pest-free.

Earlier in 2018, the EU threatened to ban Cameroonian fruits and vegetables for the same reasons. It claimed that the system lacked many of the components required by international and European Union standards.

An audit of the Cameroonian sanitary and phytosanitary control system conducted from May 8 to 18, 2017 revealed significant flaws in its organization and implementation that jeopardize its efficiency.

As a result, the pre-export checks could not guarantee that the products met the European Union's import requirements.

Despite the compliance certifications, high levels of substances harmful to both humans and the environment, such as pesticide residues, fruit flies, and moulds, have been found in Cameroonian fruits and vegetables.

Surprisingly, several other African countries have been subjected to the EU's ban. Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania.

Technical Trade Barriers

Domestic technical regulations present a new challenge just as developing countries are beginning to overcome some major roadblocks in their quest to expand trade with industrial countries.

Over the last two decades, the use of technical barriers has increased. The World Trade Organization's (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures entered into force in 1995 in an effort to standardize such standards.

The agreement was created to provide uniform rules for all laws, regulations, and requirements pertaining to how a product is produced, processed, stored, or transported in order to ensure that its import does not endanger human, animal, or plant health.

Sanitary measures are intended to protect human and animal health, whereas phytosanitary measures are intended to protect plants. These new regulations put additional strain on plant health authorities in supplying countries. Authorities in producing countries must be able to declare a pest-free zone or conduct inspections of specific areas and product treatments.