Most Central Asian countries have broken food safety control systems, finds paper

Subject: International relations

Section :Groupings

Context:

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) region faces severe food safety challenges due to fractured safety control systems, according to Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s working paper.

About the report:

Report title: Strengthening Food Safety Systems in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Member Countries: Current Status, Framework, and Forward Strategies.
Published by: Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Highlights of report findings:

Microbial contamination, excessive food additives and excessive drug residues are the major food safety challenges.
These food safety issues cannot realistically be entirely eliminated — food safety will remain a long-term effort in China until the production system of agriculture and food processing industries has been greatly improved.
Regarding international trade among CAREC member countries (CMCs), both food exports and imports account for about 90 per cent of total agricultural trade.

Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC):

CAREC is an Asian Development Bank (ADB)–supported initiative.
Created in 1997 to encourage economic cooperation among countries in the region.
Countries include: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Mongolia and China are a part of it.
Goal: To accelerate economic growth and poverty reduction in member countries.