• Ethiopia launches e-Phyto to digitize plant health export certification
• New system cuts processing time, reduces fraud and export costs
• Horticulture sector to benefit; cut flower exports earned $470M in 2023/24
  

Ethiopia has taken a significant step toward modernizing its agricultural trade system with the launch of the electronic Phytosanitary System (e-Phyto). The Ethiopian Agricultural Authority (EAA) inaugurated the online platform, which is designed to automate the issuance of phytosanitary certificates for plant products.

The initiative, announced during the second regional phytosanitary conference held in Addis Ababa on October 30 and 31, aims to make agricultural trade more fluid, transparent, and compliant with international standards, the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported.

Previously, the issuance of phytosanitary certificates, which are essential to verify the health compliance of exported plant products, was conducted manually. Authorities cited this manual process as a cause of customs clearance delays, increased costs for exporters, and a higher risk of falsification and corruption.

According to Deriba Kuma, Director General of the EAA, digitizing the process will cut the certificate processing time from two or three days to just a few hours. The system is also expected to reduce expenses linked to lost certificates, fraud, corruption, and the need for physical travel.

The innovation will primarily benefit the horticulture sector, which is highly reliant on export phytosanitary certificates due to the sensitivity of its products to pests and the strict requirements of importing countries.

Ethiopian exports of cut flowers generated nearly $470 million in revenue in the 2023/2024 fiscal year, while fruits and vegetables brought in $65.1 million. Together, these two horticultural categories accounted for 14.1% of the country's total goods and services export revenue during that period.

Stéphanas Assocle