A new FAO project involves Kyrgyzstan and improving food safety management in the country’s fruit and vegetable sector. The work is funded by a $570,000 contribution from the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) and will support implementation of modern risk-based food safety management systems in fruit and vegetable production and processing.
This will help local producers ensure safety of their products, and increase access to domestic and international markets, mainly members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which the Kyrgyz Republic joined in August 2015.
Adnan Quereshi, FAO representative in Kyrgyzstan, said: “The project will have a positive impact on development of the fruit and vegetable sector and will provide an impetus to increase sales of Kyrgyz fruit and vegetables, which will ultimately lead to an increase in the profitability of small farms and processors in connection with the improvement of the fruit and vegetable industry.”
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Industry and Melioration and Association of Fruit and Vegetable Enterprises (AFVE) are also involved in the project, which runs until the end of 2022. Mary Kenny, FAO food safety and consumer protection officer, said technical knowledge of authority staff on doing risk-based inspection and analysis and revising audit procedures will be improved: “Within the framework of this project, a standardized training system will be created to build capacities on internationally accepted risk-based food safety management systems including Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).”
