Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Strenghtening export potential of agri-food products

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

IICA Canada works with small and medium sized operations in Peru and Colombia to meet the Sanitary and Phytosanitary requirements for export to Canada.

Canada. The project “Building the capacity of Peruvian and Colombian small and medium-size enterprises to understand, and comply with Canadian sanitary and phytosanitary measures, thereby enhancing their export opportunities to Canada” was presented at the IICA Canada’s 2015 Annual Accountability Seminar.

Supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), under the Canada-Americas Trade Related Technical Assistance Program of the Conference Board of Canada, the project was designed to enhance trade prospects.

On-site training and capacity building exercises assisted cooperatives, SME producers and processors of the cacao, quinoa, panela, aromatic herbs and tilapia to enhance SPS compliance in their production systems.

The level of genuine interest and commitment by small and medium sized producers in the commodity chains in both Peru and Colombia played a significant part in making the project an unqualified success. The collaboration between the 3 IICA offices was rewarding as technical specialists demonstrated the invaluable role of IICA on the ground in the countries. Please feel free to contact us if you wish to receive a printed copy of this brochure.

The Government of Canada, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development established the 6 year Canada-Americas Trade Related Technical Assistance (CATRTA) program in 2009. The goal of the CATRTA program is to help trade partners and potential trade partners in Latin America and the Caribbean region to maximize opportunities and benefits of increased trade and investment through their bilateral Free Trade Agreements with Canada.  The program contributes to broader poverty reduction and development mainly through enhanced trade and investment opportunities.

Focus countries include Peru, Colombia, Honduras and the Caribbean region, with government entities, the private sector and civil society being recipients of technical assistance.  

The CATRTA program was executed by the Conference Board of Canada.  IICA Canada implemented a project under the sub-project theme : “address specific capacity weaknesses regarding sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures”.

More information:

audia.barnett@iica.int

Share

Related news​

Buenos Aires

June 2, 2026

IICA and CPBIO participate in Maizar 2026 Congress in Argentina and launch the Mobility Energy Transition Movement, with a key role for biofuels

The shared aspiration of the participating entities is to build a common agenda that will accelerate the development of sustainable energy solutions, strengthen industrial competitiveness, and promote an energy transition adapted to Argentina’s capabilities and opportunities.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Donación de productos agrícolas libres de pesticidas del CATIE al IICA, que incluye plátano verde, papaya, malanga y huevos, destinados a comedores escolares de centros educativos de Coronado como parte de una iniciativa de responsabilidad social.

San José, Costa Rica

June 2, 2026

From the farm to school cafeterias: pesticide-free products reach educational centers in Costa Rica thanks to CATIE/IICA joint effort

A chain of collaboration from the farm to school cafeterias in the municipality of Vázquez de Coronado, Costa Rica, allowed children and adolescents from various schools to receive fresh, pesticide-free foodstuffs as part of a joint initiative by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE).

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Merida, México

June 1, 2026

Cooperation among producers, businesses, researchers, and international organizations like IICA is key to preventing devastating banana disease

The Global Alliance Against TR4, whose Executive Secretariat is operated by IICA and which is composed of major stakeholders in the world’s banana industry, promotes research aimed at finding resistant varieties and increasing on-farm prevention practices.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins