KIGALI - The Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) has called on stakeholders in the food industry to ensure that their products meet World Trade Organization (WTO) standards to compete favourably on the regional market.

The call was made by the Director General of RBS, Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, during a two-day food safety meeting of the East African Community (EAC) in Kigali.

"Many traders don’t take it as their responsibility to serve goods of quality because currently there are no tough sanctions served in the field,” he said.

The meeting was called to discuss ways of improving the quality of the agro-processing sector and strengthening of government institutions and private sector involvement. 
According to Cyubahiro, the EAC partner states are working hand-in-hand to harmonize laws that govern the sector.

The meeting attracted participants from the United Nations Coordinator Office (UNCO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), Belgium Technical Cooperation (BTC), the European Union (EU) and USAID.

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