Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will soon avoid delays in shipping authorisations for processed food, saving time and money and gaining an advantage in global trade, thanks to a project launched today by the Peruvian government and the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (the Alliance).
Historically, a lack of technical information on foreign trade issues, coupled with complex administrative and regulatory procedures, has caused delays in obtaining pre-market authorisations for exports and imports of processed foods. For MSMEs, representing 99.6% of all Peruvian companies, the issues have had a ripple effect, leading to cost overruns, impacted shipment schedules, missed commitments, and lost customers.
To alleviate those problems, this project will improve decision-making procedures and optimise internal processes within the General Directorate of Environmental Health and Food Safety (DIGESA) of the Ministry of Health, helping make the country’s trade regulations more transparent.
Among other changes, the project will develop a unified evaluation criteria across DIGESA’s procedures, enabling its staff to deliver predictable decisions. As a result, traders will benefit from reduced commercial transaction lead times, fewer overcharges, and more predictability in their interactions with the agency. It will make cross-border trade simpler, faster and less costly, which is the underpinning of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
“DIGESA congratulates the Alliance and TFO Canada on the launch of this project, which will contribute to Peru implementing its commitments under the TFA,” said Carmen Elizabeth Cruz Gamboa, Director General of DIGESA. “This initiative will streamline processes, making them more accessible and improve the availability of health information for the export and import of industrialized food, while facilitating trade with other countries and improving the health management of DIGESA.”
“This project will bolster Peru’s trade competitiveness and enable micro, small, medium enterprises, many of them women-owned, to better compete in global trade,” said Philippe Isler, Director of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation. “By addressing delays in pre-market authorizations for processed foods, the government is demonstrating its commitment to cutting the red tape for local businesses, saving them time and reducing their costs.”
In addition to DIGESA, the project is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, and its National Trade Facilitation Directorate which hosts Peru’s Single Window of Foreign Trade, and the Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Exports and Tourism. The Association of Exporters of Peru, the National Industries Society, the Lima Chamber of Commerce, and the Peruvian Foreign Trade Society will also support the project as strategic partners.