Manila, 9 March 2024: From 8-9 March 2024, the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) hosted a capacity-building workshop focusing on enhancing phytosanitary compliance and facilitating the seed trade across South and Southeast Asia by encouraging the adoption of the electronic phytosanitary (ePhyto) system. Organized in collaboration with key global and regional partners, this event marked a critical step in the project on “Strengthening phytosanitary compliance to boost seed trade in the Asia Pacific”, funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF).’ A total of 39 participants; 16 from the public sector, 7 from the private sector companies, and the remaining from global nonprofits, coming from 7 countries, participated actively in the workshop. 

Featuring a robust agenda that covered essential topics like the adoption of electronic phytosanitary (ePhyto) certificates, the workshop brought together experts on ePhyto from global organizations such as the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC),  United Nations International Computing Center (UNICC), USDA, International Seed Federation (ISF), the Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance (APSA), CropLife Asia, and the American Seed Trade Association

The workshop was designed to build capacity of National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) from participating countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Viet Nam, Nepal, Philippines, and Thailand) on International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 12 (ISPM 12) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) ePhyto solution (electronic phytosanitary certificate). These collective efforts underscored a pivotal move towards streamlining seed trade across South and Southeast Asia, enhancing efficiency, reliability, and safety in the agricultural sector.

Mr. Simon Padilla representing the STDF highlighted the past efforts of the STDF and the immense importance of the project for facilitating safe trade through the digitization of phytosanitary certificates and seed-specific pest lists in the region.

Ms Dinh Thi Nhu, the national plant protection officer from Viet Nam stated “It is a good platform to exchange data and information on how countries are approaching ePhyto to facilitate seed trade in a faster and safer way. We learnt a lot from this workshop.”

Khalil Hamid, Program Manager, Foreign Agricultural Service Office of Global Programs, from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), underscored the transformative potential of ePhyto in streamlining seed trade and ensuring quality seeds’ efficient and reliable flow.

“Implementation of ePhyto will continue to greatly enhance seed trade across South and Southeast Asia, translating into efficient and reliable flow of quality seeds. USDA actively supports the regions’ efforts to further adoption and implementation of ePhyto among others through the STDF project,” he stated.

Dr. Ravi Khetarpal, Executive Director of APAARI, highlighted the workshop’s critical role in facilitating harmonization of digital advancements in phytosanitary documentation for international seed movement for trade from the region.

“The STDF project brought together NPPOs of selected countries from South and South East Asia mainly to discuss the status of ePhyto in their countries with international experts. Digitization of exchange of phytosanitary documents is bound to expedite smooth and safe trade from the region,” he explained.

Rose Souza Richards, Phytosanitary Affairs Manager, ISF, praised the ePhyto system’s significant advancements in global agricultural trade. “The adoption of the ePhyto system marks a significant leap forward in enhancing the efficiency, security, and sustainability of global agricultural trade,” she noted.

Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the current state and future direction of phytosanitary measures, digital certification processes, and the significant impact of ePhyto on global agricultural trade. The key outcomes included a unified commitment towards adopting the ePhyto system, a strategic roadmap for its implementation, and the fostering of regional collaborations. The workshop underscored the critical role of digital advancements in phytosanitary documentation, promising a more sustainable and prosperous future for agriculture in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

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About the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI):

APAARI is a membership-based, apolitical, multi-stakeholder, and intergovernmental regional organization that catalyzes collective action to improve agri-food research and innovation systems toward a more sustainable Asia-Pacific region.

About the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF)

The STDF is a global partnership facilitating safe and inclusive trade in developing countries by enhancing their capacity to meet international food safety, and animal and plant health standards.

Contact Information

For more details about the workshop outcomes and future initiatives, please contact:

Dr. Shivendra Bajaj, Project Manager, s.bajaj@apaari.org

The European Phytosanitary Research Coordination (EUPHRESCO) Consortium was initiated in 2006 as a EU-funded network. EUPHRESCO is a strong sustainable network of funders, policy makers and research organizations hosted by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) with over 70 organizations from 50 countries around the world. APAARI has just become the Consortium’s partner to support the network’s expansion in Asia-Pacific region.

In the dynamic landscape of phytosanitary research, EUPHRESCO III emerges as a pivotal initiative, building on the successes of its predecessors – EUPHRESCO I and II. The success of EUPHRESCO as a primarily European network for phytosanitary research coordination has set the ground for discussions on the development of initiatives to address the needs of other regions of the world and global phytosanitary research coordination.

Hosted by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), the EUPHRESCO III project aims to enhance national and regional phytosanitary research coordination and to set the foundations for global phytosanitary research coordination through fit-for-purpose activities. It aims to:

1. Develop a comprehensive medium-term (5-10 years) global strategic agenda for phytosanitary research priorities. This agenda will serve as a guiding beacon for project partners, aligning their efforts to address national, regional, and global challenges.
2. Facilitate joint calls on common research priorities, fostering international collaboration to meet the needs of research funders and policymakers, generating significant positive outcomes for plant health.
3. Develop and test models for the governance, structure, and operations of a global network dedicated to phytosanitary research coordination, including establishing a roadmap for the evolution of this global network.
4. Facilitate engagement of a spectrum of stakeholders, including policymakers, research funders, academia, industry players (agri-food, biotech, diagnostics, seed industry), farmers, and foresters. This engagement aims to foster knowledge exchange, participation in project activities, co-development, innovation, and the dissemination and adoption of research outputs.

APAARI’s Role

APAARI proudly joins hands with ACIAR and CABI as a regional champion for the Asia-Pacific region within the EUPHRESCO III initiative. APAARI will be taking the lead as coordinator in the Asia-Pacific region to initiate planning, collaboration, outreach and shape the operations related to phytosanitary research planning in the Asia-Pacific region.

Consultation Process

EUPHRESCO III adopts a consultative approach, involving national and regional consultations led by project partners and champions. These events, whether face-to-face, remote, or hybrid, will be engaging stakeholders at various levels. The outcomes include increased awareness, identification of research priorities, and the consolidation of regional and global perspectives.

Expected Outcomes

The initiative is envisioned to lead to the following expected outcomes:

• Development of a robust global strategic agenda for phytosanitary research.
• Facilitation of collaborative research projects through joint calls.
• Establishment of models for the governance and operations of a global phytosanitary research network.
• Active engagement and knowledge exchange among diverse stakeholders.

EUPHRESCO III will shape the future of phytosanitary research coordination, fostering collaboration that transcends boundaries. For more information, please visit the https://www.euphresco.net/ and watch up for updates on the APAARI website and Social Media.

APAARI members and others from the Asia Pacific Region interested to play active role in EUPHRESCO III shall contact the APAARI Secretariat (ks.varaprasad@apaari.org) with a brief account of status of their country/organization in the area of phytosanitary research.