Newsletter January 2013 - CropLife Africa Middle East

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 86
January 2013
Intellectual Property Rights / Anti-Counterfeiting
Anti-Counterfeiting Training of Customs Officers - Côte d’Ivoire
Col Baillet, Regional Director of Customs in San-Pedro who
attended the programme was presented a certificate (A)
which he proudly displayed (B) to other participants.
On 19 December, in San-Pédro, a South Western region of Côte
d’Ivoire, 27 operational customs agents of whom 21 were from the
San-Pédro Regional Directorate (city and neighboring cities), and 6
from Man and Daloa regions, approximately 450 Km and 300 Km from
San-Pedro respectively were trained.
The training was a continuation of the rollout of the anti-counterfeiting
course to sensitize customs authorities on the issue, and to provide
knowledge and tools to combat the illegal trade in pesticides.
San-Pédro is an important port for cocoa exports besides being the
capital of the south western region, the largest cocoa growing area in
Côte d’Ivoire. Both Man and Daloa are also important cocoa growing
areas. Illegal pesticides are usually found in these 3 important cocoa
growing regions whilst cocoa is a strategic crop for Côte d’Ivoire, the
world’s largest producer and supplier of around 40% of dry cocoa
beans. Combating illegal pesticides will improve cocoa productivity and
quality thus impacting positively on the income of farmers and the
economy of the country as a whole.
The training was facilitated by Roger Yeboué, Master trainer of
CropLife Africa Middle East and Executive Secretary of CropLife Côte
d’Ivoire. The course was conducted using an interactive approach to
ensure full participation of the participants. Discussions covered:
• Pesticides and pesticide regulations in Côte d’Ivoire focusing on
the registration procedures.
• Basics on pesticides covering toxicity.
• Reading a pesticide label.
• Illegal and counterfeit pesticides with a focus on the impact on productivity and health, and financial and losses.
• Inspection of shipping documents.
Copies of the appropriate pesticide regulations related to the registration, production, and distribution of crop protection
products as well as the list of registered products in the country was distributed to each participant.
The Regional Director of Customs Services attended the full programme and at the end stressed the importance and value of
the programme. The participants shared this view and requested that such programs be carried out often, allowing for frequent
meetings and exchanges between the industry and the customs services. Bama Yao
Participants focusing on the facilitator
covering the issue of the illicit pesticides
trade
Representing the Plant Science Industry