Trinidad and Tobago Standard for Good Agricultural Practices
March 2nd, 2023 | Related To: NAMDEVCO
Nirmalla Debysingh
Trinidad and Tobago Standard for Good Agricultural Practices
What is the T&T Standard for Good Agricultural Practices – Fresh Produce Requirements (TTS 648:2020)?
The Trinidad and Tobago Standard for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) – Fresh Produce Requirements (TTS 648:2020) establishes minimum requirements of good agricultural practices for fresh produce at production, harvesting, post-harvest handling, packaging, storage, or transportation stages. The Standard for GAP will sensitise, prepare, monitor, evaluate and certify fresh produce growers in accordance with the requirements of the TTS 648:2020 allowing them to address on-farm food safety issues and ensuring quality assurance and traceability in the production and handling.
The Standard for GAP is voluntary and can be adopted within agreements or used as a management tool by players in the food production industry.
Who developed the T&T Standard for GAP?
T&T Standard for GAP was published in 2020 and developed by a Specification Committee for Good Agricultural Practices, led by the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS) and chaired by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture – Trinidad and Tobago (IICA-TT).
What is NAMDEVCO’s role in the T&T Standard for GAP?
NAMDEVCO has been identified by the GORTT as the organisation responsible for the development and implementation of a National Good Agricultural Practices Programme for Trinidad and Tobago. The Corporation has been appointed as the Scheme Owner and is responsible for the establishment of the National GAP Certification Scheme. NAMDEVCO also chairs the National Steering Committee for the T&T Standard for GAP.
How is the T&T Standard for GAP profitable?
The Standard will ultimately transfer into a plethora of benefits to the different stakeholders involved, including food safety, quality assurance, traceability, standardised production and compliance requirements.
For the producers, they will be better positioned to meet compliance criteria for food safety audits to be met by the operators in the food and beverage manufacturing industry, as their products will be considered healthy in accordance to the Standard. This can lead to an increase in more abundant products and access to new high quality markets.
For consumers, concerns about health risks and food safety are minimised which will increase product quality and trust between the producer and consumer. Increased consumer confidence can also lead to a rise in demand.
In terms of retail companies, the opportunity to make more qualified and rewarding agreements with manufacturers will be enhanced.
Where can I learn more?
Visit our website at www.namdevco.com. Print and e-copies of the Standard are also available for purchase at the Standards Information Centre and at the TT Standards Store via the TTBS Website at www.gottbs.com.
The National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO) is a Statutory body created by Act of Parliament No. 16 of 1991 with a mandate “to create, facilitate and maintain an environment conducive to the efficient marketing of agricultural produce and food products through the provision of marketing services and the stimulation of business investment in the agro-industrial sector of Trinidad and Tobago.
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