Page 52 - 41st Summit Brochure

SADC Member States Benefit from
EU-Funded TRF Support

The SADC Trade Related Facility (TRF) was established in July SADC TRF Success Stories include the following:
2014 through a Contribution Agreement between the European • Development and adoption of policy documents, such as
Union (EU) and the Southern African Development Community the National Trade Policy in Lesotho, and National Quality
(SADC). The TRF provides financial and technical assistance to Policies in Zimbabwe Madagascar and Mozambique;
SADC Member States (MS) to facilitate greater levels of • Upskilling of small-scale gold and gemstone mining and
compliance and implementation of the SADC Trade Protocol improved use of new technology in farming and aquaculture
(STP) commitments and ensures better preparedness of SADC development;
Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) States to effectively • Development of value-chain strategies;
implement the EPA and benefit from it. The TRF aims to increase • Development of EPA Implementation Strategies and Action
overall trade flows within the Region and internationally. Plans, capacity-building in the areas of SPS and TBTs,
including procurement of laboratory equipment; and
The TRF has to date disbursed 81% (€18.5 million) of the grant • Development of Standard Operating Procedures for the
funding earmarked for Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, laboratories.
Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania, A notable success of the TRF is the significant increase in the
Zambia and Zimbabwe. production of oilseeds and the development of the oilseeds
value chain in Malawi. The oilseeds sector is one of the prioritised
The outputs realized by the TRF in capacitating Member States export-oriented clusters for economic diversification in Malawi’s
to domesticate the provisions and benefit from the SADC Trade National Export Strategy. TRF intervention sought to address the
Protocol and SADC- EPA include: challenges of low yields and low levels of quality in oilseed
i. Enhancing customs cooperation - Development of one production which led to processors offering local farmers low
stop border instruments and coordinated border market prices and preferring to import the oilseeds.
management systems;
ii. Improving the application of sanitary and phytosanitary The TRF project focused on groundnuts, sunflower and soya
(SPS) measures -Retooling of laboratories, policy beans through application of yield improving technologies and
development, development of online systems for issuance training of farmers. Demonstration plots were identified in seven
of SPS certificates and reporting systems under the World districts, to illustrate the benefits of yield improving technologies
Trade Organisation); that involved application of certified seeds, inoculants, soil and
iii. Trade facilitation - Adoption of online systems for plant pest control methods and, through Extension Services and
reporting and resolving Non-Tariff Barriers, upgrading of other service providers, good agronomic practice. 160 farmer
50 the ASYCUDA and National Single Window clearance groups, consisting of 16000 individual beneficiaries, have directly
systems and training of customs officials, and accreditation benefited from this intervention.
of clearing and forwarding agents to build their capacity to
lodge correct customs clearance documentation); The demonstration plots registered increased grain yield in soya
beans, groundnuts and sunflower in the 2018/19 season as
iv. Trade promotion and development- Development of compared to the 2017/18 season. The Yield Improving
national trade policy; promotion of SMMEs in various Technologies (YIT) demonstration plots had a mean grain yield
sectors to comply with required standards, development of 1.65 tonnes/hectare. This translated to 91.4% higher yield than
of e-commerce policy and electronic platforms/portals for that of the Traditional Plots (TP) that registered a mean grain yield
trade; of 0.86 ton/ha. The increase of yield in the YIT demonstration
v. Addressing technical barriers to trade - Procurement of plots was attributed to utilisation of certified seed of improved
equipment and preparation of laboratories for varieties, inoculants (in legumes), planting pattern, crop
accreditation and capacitating them to provide protection agents and fertilizers and good agronomic practices.
certification services to industry, development of
regulatory frameworks and standard operating
procedures;
vi. Effective implementation of Rules of Origin -
Development of rules of origin management systems and
online e-certificate of origin issuance systems;
vii. Industrial development - Policy, Industrial Upgrading and
Modernization Programme (IUMP) and value chain
development and productive competitiveness;
viii. Trade in services - Development of sector related
schedules of commitment and policies;
ix. Competition policy and law - Capacity building,
development of legislation and regulations, establishment
of resource centres and awareness raising on anti-
competitiveness; After 90 months of operation, the SADC TRF is scheduled to
x. Strengthening trade defense instruments - conclude its work in March 2022. Sustainability of the TRF outputs
Development of regulatory frameworks, establishment of and outcomes will be ensured by close collaboration with
investigation units and capacity building; and successor programmes such as the Trade Facilitation Programme
xi. Trade related adjustment-assessing the impact of EPA on (TFP) and the Support to Industry and the Productive Sectors
(SIPS).
the economy

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Gaborone, Botswana Tel: +267391 5718.

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