Colombia: ICA more trained on phytosanitary certification for agricultural products

The Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) has increased its ability to control entry and exit of agricultural products in airports, ports and passages national border, by processes for training inspectors and exchange of knowledge and experiences with Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM).

ICA inspectors Cartagena, Santamarta, Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Rionegro (Ant.), Rumichaca and El Dorado Airport, strengthened their capabilities in areas such as: quarantine, risk analysis, surveillance and export certification.

With this improvement, the ICA will have greater control capability to inspect plants, plant products and other regulated articles, detect and identify pests and implementing or supervising phytosanitary treatments. Similarly, verification activities, monitoring and related export certification and / or authorization of imports and international transit shipments.

Through interactive learning workshops supported by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that seek to improve the inspection processes and plant certification in countries in the region and integrate The ICA now has more technical elements to harmonize international standards to national regulations.

“We have strengthened our plant quarantine system to prevent the entry of pests and diseases into the country that may affect our health status. Also robustecimos our health certification system for exports of plants and plant products in order to maintain the health eligibility, “said Rafael Roldan Sanmiguel, deputy ICA Border Protection.
These upgrades, combined with the strategic work that the Colombian Agricultural Institute ICA, are elements in order to maintain the plant health status of the country and ensure compliance with the protocols and measures established by importing countries.

Source: ICA