Agritrade

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Agritrade
Agricultural trade issues in future ACP-EU trade
relations

• Cathelijne van Melle - CTA
• Euforic AGM, June 2006

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CTA Background

• Basic facts - http//www.cta.int
• Currently serves 79 ACP countries with a combined
  population of over 680 million
• An average of 70 of these populations are based
  in rural areas ( 480 million)
• Agricultural and rural development in ACP new
  focus on market, trade and private sector (cf.
  Cotonou)
• Dialogue with a broad range of ACP stakeholders
  farmers, researchers, policy makers, private
  sector, NGOs, etc.
• Niche ICM and ICTs for agricultural development

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CTA Background
Bridging the knowledge divide

• producing and disseminating information
• promoting dialogue, alliances and
• building capacity at individual, organisational
  institutional level.

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Constraints in trade negotiations

• Insufficient technical preparation and lack of
  consultation (national and regional level)
• Limited capacity to (human, technical and
  financial resources)
• follow all the many relevant developments and to
  discern their implications
• participate in the meetings

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Role of IC-Trade negotiations

• Vital role in the negotiating process
• Beforehand know what you want through
  research, analysis and dialogue
• During negotiations keep abreast of the latest
  developments
• At the results stage sharing information among
  stakeholders
• Targeting information to specific users/needs
• Using the right language
• Learning to produce, manage and use information
• Offering well-adapted information tools
• Ensuring information circulation
• Knowing how to use the media

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Agritrade

• Agritrade is the CTA's thematic portal on
  international agricultural trade issues in the
  context of ACP -EU relations
• Established in October 2001, this service is
  intended to assist and be utilised by the ACP
  negotiators, as well as stakeholders in ACP
  states to facilitate their internal debates and
  in order to help fashion their negotiating
  positions on agriculture and fisheries

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Objectives of Agritrade

• create or heighten awareness of the critical
  issues, deadlines and the fora of discussions
• provide information on the recent developments
  pertinent to the key trade issues
• facilitate the dissemination of this information,
  its analysis and the exchange of views on such
  analysis and its implications
• establish and maintain a platform for the
  exchange of ideas and formulation of proposals by
  ACP states and stakeholders

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Agritrade products and services

• News updates and alerts
• Dossiers on specific issues (market access, food
  safety)etc.) and commodities (sugar, bananas
  etc.)
• Studies and discussion papers Hong-Kong,
  CTA-ECDPM InBriefs (drawing lessons from EU FTAs
  for EPAs), Market access (SPS issues,
  Geographical indications)
• Electronic discussionsE-forum on the preparation
  of ACP countries for the post Hong-Kong
  agriculture negotiations

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Future challenge

• Integrated approach to ensure that the
  information is effectively used gt combine the
  Agritrade service with other ICM/ICT tools