UNBS in collaboration with TradeMark Africa and Taha_Greencert is facilitating a Global Gap Version 6 Farm Assurance Training for Cohort 2 of the MAAIF and UNBS inspectors at Standards House in Bweyogerere

  9th January , 2025     HITS: 141

GLOBAL G.A.P is an internationally recognised farm assurance program, translating consumer requirements into Good Agricultural Practice. Global Gap outlines international standards that act as a safeguard for food safety, workers’ health and safety, animal welfare, and environmental protection.  The focus is on international standards for producers of agricultural produce, floriculture, livestock, aquaculture, compound feed and supply chains.

Global Gap’s objective is to promote sustainable agriculture worldwide that guarantees retailers and consumers standardised criteria on food safety.

Global GAP certification is governed according to the ISO/IEC 17065 for product certification schemes. Unlike other farm certification schemes it has definitive rules for growers to follow, and each production unit is assessed by independent third-party auditors. Global G.A.P offers 2 options of certification schemes. 

Option 1: For individual owned farms and

Option 2: for Group farmers for most producers that prefer to pool their resources together to save costs.

Applicability of Global GAP standards and certification

Global G.A.P standards are applicable not only to primary crop producers like fruit and vegetables, flowers and ornamentals, hops, and herbs but also applies to livestock such as cattle, pigs, poultry, and turkey as well as aquaculture (fish and fish farming). 

Benefits of Global GAP certification to the Economy

1. Increased access to global markets
2. Global recognition, local implementation
3. GLOBALG.A.P. standards are designed by sector experts and consulted publicly, giving stakeholders the chance to submit feedback. This means standards are developed with farmers in mind.
4. ecure your status as an advocate of safer and more sustainable farming worldwide.
5. emonstrate your safer, more responsible production practices in a global marketplace and present opportunities for accessing new supply chains

UNBS being a government agency that is internationally accredited by SANAS as a Food Safety Management System Certification body can be leveraged on to provide Global GAP Certification in collaboration with MAAIF. Once competence of UNBS is enhanced to acquire Global GAP certification registration, the cost of Global GAP certification will be tremendously reduced to about  USD 4000 allowing majority of Ugandan farmers to benefit from the Global Gap market potential.

This Global Gap Version 6 Farm Assurance training is one of the capacity building initiatives supported by TMA to equip UNBS, MAAIF and private sector with the necessary knowledge and skills to enhance implementation of the relevant farm assurance standards, which is key in meeting export requirements. Other activities under the project include awareness creation campaigns in 4 regions across major agricultural zones in Uganda to educate producers and exporters on benefits of standards in Northern Region-Lira City, Western region –Mbarara City, Eastern region-Mbale City and Central region in Masaka City.

UNBS appreciates the immeasurable support extended by TMA under the Standards Partnership Project and looks forward to more collaborations and programs geared towards advancing MSMEs, the youth and women in developing export capacity of their agricultural produce and commodities.

UNBS would also like to appreciate Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) which was contracted by TMA to provide the Global GAP training services. With those few remarks, I urge all the participants to take this opportunity seriously and benefit from the expertise of the trainers.