Regional States to reduce barriers holding back horticulture trade

Avoveg Limited's horticultural produce for local and international markets. [File, Standard]

Efforts to boost the trade of fruits and vegetables across Eastern and Southern Africa have received a major boost, with regional leaders agreeing to speed up the removal of trade barriers that continue to block smooth business between countries.

At the opening of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Comesa-EAC (East African Community) Horticulture Accelerator (CEHA) workshop in Nairobi, Trade Principal Secretary Regina Ombam called for urgent action to identify and fix these non-tariff barriers (NTBs)—rules or practices that make it harder and more expensive to move goods across borders.