Ukraine in the ePhyto system: it simplifies trade for Ukrainian farmers

4 February 08:49

Ukraine has officially joined the international ePhyto system, which allows the exchange of phytosanitary certificates in electronic form, and the first electronic phytosanitary certificate has already been issued, the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection reported, Komersant ukrainskyi.

From now on, Ukraine has the official status of a country that can exchange electronic phytosanitary certificates with 124 countries, including the United States, Canada, EU countries, etc. through the ePhyto system.

“This opens up new prospects for Ukrainian producers, simplifies trade procedures and makes the certification system more transparent and efficient,” said Serhiy Tkachuk, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.

The introduction of ePhyto is an important step for Ukraine that will increase the trust of international partners and the competitiveness of Ukrainian agricultural products, including grain, and facilitate their smooth circulation on the global market.

What other benefits does the ePhyto system provide?

The use of the electronic phytosanitary certificate exchange system helps to

– prevent the forgery of phytosanitary certificates;

– simplify procedures in international trade;

– increase transparency in the exchange of certificates between countries;

– enhance the diversification of Ukrainian exports;

– prevent unauthorized imports of plant-based products.

The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection warned that quarantine certificates, phytosanitary certificates and phytosanitary certificates for re-export will have a QR code that can be used to verify the authenticity of the document.

What is known about the ePhyto system

This is an international system that allows the exchange of phytosanitary certificates in electronic form through a special platform ePhyto Hub. This platform was developed by the International Plant Protection Convention, which is part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Ukraine became the 124th country in the world to implement ePhyto and joined a number of developed countries that actively support the digitalization of trade at the international level.

In Ukraine, the exchange of electronic phytosanitary certificates is carried out in the Phytosanitary Inspection System with the ePhyto solution, which was developed and implemented with the assistance of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation project, the EU EU4SaferFood project, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Василевич Сергій
Editor