June 8, 2006
Cal Poly College of Agriculture Helps USDA Aid Afghanistan
SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly College of Agriculture is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help Afghanistan build its agricultural exports sector.
Cal Poly Food Science Professor Hany Khalil recently presented food safety workshops for government Agriculture Ministry personnel in Kabul, Afghanistan. The workshops aimed to train Afghanis on meeting international food safety standards – key to building exports. Khalil was in Afghanistan from May 4 through May 26.
He's already been asked to return. "I have requests from three NGOs (non-government aid organizations) to go back and continue the food safety work, but it depends on the security situation and my Cal Poly commitments. The need for help on all fronts in Afghanistan is great and not too many people are willing to venture into the high-risk envirinment," he said.
Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner praised Cal Poly and the efforts of several USDA agencies and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for their work in providing the food safety training to Afghanistan’s dried fruit and nut industries. “Afghanistan’s horticulture sector has the potential to drive rural income growth,” said Conner. “To see this potential come to fruition, Afghanistan needs effective regulations that meet international food safety standards."
The food safety workshops we are conducting will give the Afghan dried fruit and nut industry the knowledge it needs to meet other countries’ import requirements so they can participate in foreign exchange.”With financial support from USAID, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service worked in conjunction with the food science department at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo recently to conduct a workshop in Kabul, Afghanistan, for Ministry of Agriculture officials. The workshop provided an overview of sanitary policies, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles and Good Manufacturing Practices.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Agricultural Marketing Service helped to design the workshop. More workshops are planned in the future. These workshops are part of a larger effort between USDA and USAID to assist in the development of Afghanistan’s agricultural sector.For details, contact Philippe Chabot with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service at (202) 690-2209, or e-mail philippe.chabot@fas.usda.gov.
Click Here to go to the USDA news release
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