FAO supports Azerbaijan in strengthening phytosanitary inspection and diagnostic services

Baku. 21 June. REPORT.AZ/  A three-day training session on basic inspection and pest diagnostics of plants and plant products has brought together some 30 inspectors from the State Phytosanitary Control Service under the Agriculture Ministry of Azerbaijan (SPCS), Food Safety Agency and the State Customs Committee (SCC).

Report informs, Azerbaijani office of Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN reported. 

The course, organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), aims to strengthen the national capacities in phytosanitary inspection techniques corresponding to international standards, provide comprehensive information related to the pest quarantine list of Azerbaijan, as well as describe specific pests and plant diseases to participants.

The event is part of the project on strengthening phytosanitary inspection and diagnostic services in Azerbaijan, which is funded by the Standards Trade Development Facility of the World Trade Organization and implemented in the country from February 2016. It focuses on improvement of phytosanitary control in three directions: control of imported and exported plants and plant products, as well as pest diagnostics in the laboratories.

FAO have already organized similar training sessions in June 2016 and April 2017, and inspectors from SPCS and SCC have significantly benefited from these activities. These events also helped to reduce the risks of pest dissemination, secure the plant health in the country and promote wider export of Azerbaijani plants and plant products to other countries.