By Tereza Jeremiah Chuei
The Representative of Tanzania Bureau of Standards and also a Consultant at South Sudan National Codex Committee, Lawrence Chenge said South Sudan as a Country has done much in terms of growth therefore it’s not a dumping ground for expired goods as others might take it to be.
Speaking to the Media yesterday, Chenge said “South Sudan’ has done a lot; I don’t think it will be a dumping ground”.
Meanwhile, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Project Manager Hannington P.K Sebaduka advised that to secure food security, there is a need to ensure quality food standards, food safety and codex centers.
“We can’t trade food if it’s not standard, it can be rejected and it will fall back to us again, we don’t have money, the farmers are putting money so once our food is rejected its going to dampen our market and then there is no production, so that is one of the examples, to secure food security we need to make sure we have good food quality standard, food safety and codex trading centers,” he stated.
He added that “FAO is supporting codex globally together with W.H.O and other stakeholders”.
“We believe that we need to have quality food and also healthy food and that is why we are supporting FAO South Sudan through the National Bureau of Standards which is hosting a codex Committee,” he hinted.
Hannington also revealed that Tanzania is one of Countries that have advance a step ahead and that is why they have referred them to South Sudan to mentor the Codex Committee within the Country.
“We are partnering with the Tanzanian Bureau of Standards which have moved a step ahead, and that is why we need them to tell us what are the kind of polices, what kind of the product features. What kind of technical capacity do we need to put in our National codex system and in our National quality food system, so that we are at far with our fellow East African Communities (EAC),” he added.
However, the Codex contact person in South Sudan Liza Nelson said that “we produce and implement the codex standard, whereby we make sure that all the food we are eating, all the food we are trading and importing is of good quality, and it’s safe for consumption of the people”.
“CTF is a codex trust fund project in South Sudan, this project goal is to enhance and strengthen codex Committees all over the world, it’s a part of a program that all the EAC countries is supposed to work and meet the goal of codex element commission in South Sudan,” she explained.
She added that they had established the National Codex Committee last year and that is one of the reasons that endured them to be fully part of the codex standard.
“This workshop is going to help the Codex Committee of South Sudan start engaging in the codex standard mainly for food that is why codex and food go together,” she said.