Stakeholders of the ACP-EU Commodities Programme met at ACP House on 2nd October 2018 for the last Steering Committee of the Programme. This was followed on 3rd October by an Information Session on programme results and impact in beneficiary countries, and which targeted Brussels-based ACP Representatives and other partners, including the European Commission.

A major conclusion of discussions over the two days was the need to manage outputs and knowledge generated by the programme so as to enrich the design and implementation of interventions under the New Approach to ACP Group Support for the Development of Agricultural Value Chains (New Approach). To that end, the TA in support of the ACP-EU Commodities Programme will work closely with Business ACP and the Implementing Agencies in deriving lessons learnt, success stories and best practices that can feed into the implementation of the New Approach.
To recall, the “Commodities Programme on Cocoa, Coconut and Roots/Tubers in Support of Small Holders from the ACP States” was launched end 2014 and is being implemented by the following institutions:
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) – Cocoa, West and Central Africa;
  • International Trade Centre (ITC)- Coconuts Caribbean region;
  • Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) – Coconuts Pacific region; and
  • Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) – Roots & Tubers, Africa.
Its main objective is to improve the competitiveness of small producers engaged in the targeted value chains through regional integration of markets concerned and the intensification of production. The programme also aims to promote better access to finance and information by small producers, as well as access to price and climate-related risk management.
Endorsed by the ACP Council of Ministers in May 2017, the New Approach focuses on value chain development, targeting small producers including youth and women, as well as other operators, and connecting them to the market. It is based on four (4) Pillars namely: better access to finance, Capacity Building, Trade and Investment and Climate related risks. Access to finance constitutes the main focal sector for intra-ACP intervention as it represents the main constraint that weighs heavily on ACP farms and prevents the modernization of the sector. Moreover, the New Approach confirms the role of the Secretariat as a facilitator not only of implementation of interventions, but also of knowledge sharing and lessonslearning."