A regional network for horticultural producers in East and southern Africa has been launched as part of an ongoing effort to ensure that Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) which are meant to replace the current trading regime with the EU are signed by the end of December 2007.

The new Horticultural Council for Southern, Eastern and Central Africa (HC-SECA) brings together representatives from a number of countries which are seeking collaboration in promoting competitiveness in export markets through lobbying and sharing information and expertise.

Member countries include Burundi, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia, all of which, except for Kenya and Zimbabwe, are classified as Least Developed Countries and can continue to trade with the EU under the Everything But Arms initiative if no agreement is reached with the trading bloc by the end of the year. These countries may therefore not see such urgency to sign EPAs, whilst nations like Kenya, which offer bigger markets and economies of scale need to. Kenyan trade minister Mukhisa Kituyi has urged the newly-formed council’s members to pressurise their governments to fast-track talks with the EU.

The regional horticultural council concept was conceived in June 2005 during an EPAs workshop, in an attempt to create a platform to harmonise the needs of individual countries that are at different levels of development and articulate them within a multinational setup. One benefit expected from the council is the sharing of technical information and expertise, which some of the associations are already doing informally.

Other identified areas of collaboration include trade opportunities, marketing strategies, good agricultural policies, policy reforms and human resources.

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