42 / 52
Desember 2018
40
The 101 of market access
T
he development of new export
markets is becoming increasingly
important for grains and oilseeds.
Grain SA and the South African
Cereals and Oilseeds Trade Association
(Sacota) have been in discussion with the
technical directorates at the Department of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF)
to start a formal process of engagement on
establishing new and maintaining existent
markets for grains and oilseeds.
The processes involved in market access
are outlined below.
National legislative frame-
work for market access
In order to certify the plant health status of
exported commodities, in compliance with
the import measures of a trading partner,
official phytosanitary regulations are re-
quired. Such measures are also needed for
safeguarding the pest status of South Africa
through appropriate phytosanitary import
regulations. Decisions on import measures
are made by a country’s officially designat-
ed National Plant Protection Organisation
(NPPO).
Thus, laws are needed to grant authority to
an NPPO to meet the required national phy-
tosanitary responsibilities. These obliga-
tions include:
Issuing official phytosanitary regula-
tions.
Conducting pest risk analyses, surveil-
lance for pests of quarantine concern.
Phytosanitary inspection of consign-
ments of regulated articles.
Issuing phytosanitary certificates and
ensuring the phytosanitary security of
consignments after certification.
The national phytosanitary regulatory sys-
tem in South Africa is administered under
the Agricultural Pests Act, 1983 (Act no. 36
of 1983) and its associated regulations. The
Agricultural Pests Act is under review to ad-
dress the following:
Alignment with national and interna-
tional plant health responsibilities, pri-
marily the Constitution of the Republic
of South Africa, the World Trade Organi-
sation Agreement on the Application of
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures,
the International Plant Protection Con-
vention (IPPC) as well as national obliga-
tions in the interest of rules-based inter-
national trade.
Provision for appropriate export con-
trol.
Provision for the functions of the NPPO
of South Africa (NPPOZA), in accord-
ance with obligations under the IPPC.
Provision for national control in order to
prohibit and/or restrict the movement
of potentially pest-infested plant mate-
rial from infested areas to non-infested
areas.
The objective of the reviewed legislation
is to provide for phytosanitary measures
to prevent the introduction, establishment
and spread of regulated pests in order to
safeguard South African agriculture and
natural plant resources. This is in support
of safe and fair domestic and international
trade, maintenance of export markets and
establishment of new export markets, as
well as the economic growth, development
and job creation derived from exports.
Partnership with industry
With the focus on market access for South
African plant commodities, several private-
public partnership forums are maintained
by DAFF Directorate Plant Health (NPPOZA
policy component), in close collaboration
with DAFF Directorate Inspection Services
(NPPOZA operational component) as well
as Directorate Food Import and Export
Standards, responsible for phytosanitary
advocacy and awareness. These are the cur-
rent three components of NPPOZA.
The forums in question aim to draw on all
available resources in South Africa to deal
with the wide-ranging, science-based tech-
nical phytosanitary requirements that mar-
ket access, maintenance and development
demand. Industry plant commodity organi-
sations are represented in these forums.
As most markets require specialised phy-
tosanitary cold treatments to mitigate the
risk of specified pests, the Perishable Prod-
ucts Control Board (PPECB) is represented
on the forum. PPECB has the relevant exper-
tise and mandate for the execution of this
function.
The market access needs of other sectors
are addressed through DAFF participation
in their forums, or via bilateral meetings at
mutually agreed intervals, for instance with
the South African Seed Industry (SANSOR),
Grain SA and Sacota.
Processes involved in
market access
Industry identifies a potential international
market and provides a written request in
RELEVANT
DR MARINDA VISSER,
manager: Grain Research and Policy Centre, Grain SA and
DR JULIAN JAFTHA,
chief director: Plant Production and Health, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
“
“
The objective of the
reviewed legislation is to
provide for phytosanitary
measures to prevent the
introduction, establishment
and spread of regulated
pests in order to safeguard
South African agriculture...