The East African Business Council (EABC), a private sector investment lobby, on Monday urged the East African Community (EAC) member states to fast-track development of a regional law that will harmonize sanitary and phytosanitary measures for pest and disease control.
John Bosco Kalisa, CEO of EABC, said that Tanzania has ratified the EAC Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) protocol which is set to boost intra-EAC trade of agricultural products, quality and food safety.
“Following this ratification, the EABC urges the EAC Partner States to quickly develop the EAC SPS bill, SPS standards and SPS regulations in order to operationalize the protocol,” Kalisa said in a statement.
The council comprises private investors from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan.
Kalisa revealed that the implementation of the SPS protocol is set to enforce SPS measures, thereby minimizing barriers to trade of agricultural and livestock products.
He noted that the SPS protocol elaborates the rights and rules for the application of SPS measures by countries.
