In brief • An overhaul for the EU African cashew nut producers rally together import system ■ In Europe, the Generalised Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. It was System of Preferences (GSP) organised by PROMEXA (Côte is designed to allow countries of the South to export their d’Ivoire’s non-traditional agricul- products to the EU with lower tural export promotion associa- customs tariffs than those tion), ARECA (the regulatory usually applied. The total benefit authority of Côte d’Ivoire for should, in theory, be in the region of €80 billion. cotton and cashew nuts) and However, in practice, only APCAM (Mali’s permanent half the products exported assembly of chambers of agricul- actually benefit from this ture), with the financial support system. A revision of the rules was clearly needed, of PROINVEST, the EU-ACP so at the end of 2004, the partnership programme. European Commission proposed Major results of the seminar simplifying the system by keeping included the adoption of an the "Everything But Arms" scheme for products exported by industrial processing develop- least-developed countries, Photo: © Syfia international ment plan for cashew nuts in extending the GSP to include Africa and the creation of an around 300 supplementary ■ association that brings together products, introducing more African cashew nut producers before reselling them, shelled and flexible rules of origin, are worried about the new phy- processed, to Europe — has the major players in the African a clearer, fairer and more tosanitary standards for food announced that it no longer sector. Still in its preparatory simple graduation process products imported into the EU wants to buy from the African stage, this grouping will develop and, finally, establishing a the sector under the name of mechanism to encourage that came into force in January market. Asian countries are sustainable development 2005. From the trees to the con- already well positioned in the ADEFICA (Association for the practices. sumers’ plates, these procedures global market, with large planta- Development of the African must all be followed to the letter tions in Vietnam, Indonesia and Cashew Network). Floriculture flourishes and cover areas including the use Malaysia which produce outputs In Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, in Fiji of fertilisers and pesticides, the of 2 t/ha as opposed to African Enterprise Works, an American cleanliness of the factory and the plantations, which produce only non-profit organisation, is devel- ■ Floriculture is blooming in Fiji, where rural women are being hygiene practices of the staff (see 500 kg/ha. oping processing mechanisms taught how to grow and Spore 113). Faced with such strict In a bid to resolve this prob- and helping to train local busi- market cut flowers as a new measures, India — which buys lem, an international seminar ness people in production and way of boosting their incomes. 98% of the raw nuts from Africa was held in September 2004 in marketing skills. Floriculture holds good potential for Fiji’s farmers, both for sale to the island’s hotels and for export to Hawaii and New Zealand. Cut flowers including anthuriums, orchids, gingers Turning back to traditional trees and heliconias are already proving big sellers, with training ■ Pacific Islanders were once and protecting wildlife habitat. being given for the cultivation of new species, such as among the most self-sufficient The first step in the Traditional sunflowers. CTA has supported and well-nourished peoples in Tree Initiative is the launch of a one such project, helping the world, building their agricul- series of fact sheets covering smallholder women to grow tural systems around a diverse 50 of the most important species and sell cut flowers and preparing training manuals base of local tree species. But as in the region. Each one offers as well as organising workshops traditional trees were cut down detailed, practical information to ensure high quality and replaced with cash crops, on products, uses, interplant- production. much of the valuable knowledge ing applications, environmental was lost and there is now a criti- requirements, and propagation A brighter future cal shortage of information about methods. The fact sheets will be for breadfruit farmers local tree species and their roles freely available on the internet, ■ Breadfruit farmers on Samoa in resource conservation and and will also be distributed as a have been given the green food security. searchable CD, with live internet light to export their produce The Traditional Tree Initiative, links, to 200 agricultural offices, to New Zealand, thanks to launched by the NGO Agro- libraries, and schools in the the installation of a heat forestry Net, aims to reverse the region. treatment plant. All fresh exports to this important trend, recognising that time-hon- An important target will be overseas market have to be oured indigenous tree species are extension agents, often forced, treated for fruit flies through essential for sustainable agricul- through a lack of information, to a high temperature forced ture and economic development turn to newly introduced exotic air system. Meanwhile, Fiji’s Ministry of Agriculture in the islands. The project offers species whose applications and has announced that the demand a unique educational resource for products are well-documented in for breadfruit in export markets anyone interested in learning international literature. Many of is growing rapidly and predicted about traditional trees, and pro- Photo: © Craig Elevitch these exotics are untested in the a “brighter future” for the island’s breadfruit farmers. vides essential information about In the Pacific islands, it is vital that region, unfamiliar to local grow- Fiji exported 9.5 t of the fruit their cultivation, as well as their knowledge of traditional tree species ers, and pose a potential threat to in 2003, compared with 8.5 t uses and by-products. does not disappear Pacific Island ecosystems through in 2002. In the first three months The goal is to foster the plant- the introduction of potentially of 2004, exports soared to 7.7 tonnes, compared with ing and conservation of native able crops and timber they yield invasive plants. just 5.7 tonnes for the same trees across the landscape, whose — include soil conservation, Website: http://agroforestry.net/proj/ period of the previous year. benefits — aside from the valu- crop shade, use as windbreaks, tradtree.html SPORE 117 • PAGE 6.