Establishing a More Effective Phytosanitary Regulatory System: A Zambian Case Study

Abstract

Zambia, a landlocked country importing plants and plant products is vulnerable to the trading risks associated with agricultural products. By virtue of its geographical location, traded plants and plant products also transit through the country. Importations and the transit of plants and plant products have the potential for introducing plant pests that affect agricultural production and limit access to export markets. Globally, government institutions, especially National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs), play an important role in preventing the introductions of plant pests resulting from international trade. For this reason, Zambia requires an effective phytosanitary regulatory system. One of the essential components of such a system is an internationally acceptable Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) process. In this context, PRA is a systematic evaluation of the risks associated with the movement of plants and plant products in international trade. It is the basis on which scientifically based phytosanitary measures aimed at preventing the introduction of quarantine pests are developed. This paper highlights the essential components of a PRA process and describes a critical assessment of Zambia’s phytosanitary system and its capacity to undertake PRAs.

Keywords: National Plant Protection Organization, quarantine pests, phytosanitary measures, Pest Risk Analysis, trade