Strengthening Regional Trade Through EAOPS – AFPQ Project

The “Strengthening Regional Trade Through Compliance with the East African Organic Product Standard (EAOPS)” – AFPQ Project is a regional initiative (August 2024 – March 2026) coordinated by Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) and implemented in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania through the national organic movements namely KOAN, NOGAMU, and TOAM respectively. The project aims to enhance regional trade in organic products by supporting companies and farmer groups to comply with the East African Organic Product Standard (EAOPS) and by promoting the Kilimohai Organic Mark across East Africa. The initiative is supported under the African Alliance for Food Processing and Quality (AFPQ), a regional platform focused on improving food system outcomes by enhancing quality compliance, certification systems, and trade facilitation in the agro-food sector. AFPQ acts as a key technical and strategic partner, guiding implementation and sharing knowledge across the region. The overall goal is to stimulate and promote inter-regional organic trade in East Africa by encouraging adoption and sustainable use of the EAOPS, improving product quality, and strengthening certification capacity among stakeholders.

Areas of Focus:

• Strengthen regional organic trade by enhancing SME capacity to meet organic product quality requirements for cross-border export and trade.
• Build certification capacity among companies and farmer groups to obtain and maintain EAOPS certification, allowing access to multiple markets.
• Improve compliance through hands-on training, refresher courses, and knowledge exchange among staff and farmers to increase product quality.
• Enhance certification services by supporting national organic movements (NOAMs) to offer demand-driven services and create Cross-Border Organic Trade Support Desks.

The AFPQ Project is a strategic initiative that bridges the gap between organic standards and regional trade opportunities. By strengthening certification capacity, support systems, and SME empowerment, the project contributes to a more integrated and sustainable organic market in East Africa. With support from the African Alliance for Food Processing and Quality (AFPQ), the initiative highlights the leadership role of national organic associations in building a harmonized, credible, and economically viable organic sector for the region.