Two workshops were conducted in Paro, Bhutan 4–7 June 2023 on (a) Organic Group Certification; and (b) the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement). The workshops were organized by the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA), Ministry of Health under the aegis of an Asian Development Bank (ADB) project on improving market linkages for the small-scale sector. It was supported by the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific. Sanjay Dave (India), former Chairperson of Codex Alimentarius Commission was the expert who conducted both the workshops.

The workshop on Organic Group Certification was held for three days and was attended by 47 persons including officials of BFDA, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, internal and external inspectors, as well as farmer groups. For the first two days, Dave made 12 presentations. He explained about the recent developments in the regulatory process in the European Union (EU), India and the United States of America. He highlighted the roles required to be played by the inspectors, the critical points for risk assessment while inspecting the organic grower groups and what initiatives could be taken for better market access. The third day was fully devoted to practising the paperwork of the certification process. The participants were divided into nine working groups and all of them were invited to make their presentations.

The workshop on WTO (SPS & TBT) was organized for 7 June on the occasion of World Food Safety Day. This workshop was attended by about 45 senior officials from the BFDA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Department of Revenue and Custom under the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Bhutan Standards Bureau, Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, senior representatives of the Attorney-General and representatives from the agro-based industries. Since Bhutan is actively pursuing accession to the WTO, their negotiating team was also present.

Dave started with a presentation on the theme of Food Standards Save Lives and went on to explain the alignment of SPS Agreement with Codex and BFDA. Thereafter, he explained Bhutan's rights and obligations under the SPS and the TBT Agreements and what changes might be necessary in the process of standards setting and the regulatory system. The participants also discussed key aspects of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and opportunities for better trade in food products.

 
Photo © Bhutan Food and Drug Authority, Ministry of Health