The Challenge

In recent years, with European Union support, Ukraine has digitalised many aspects of its phytosanitary certification process. Still, several key modules remained paper-based. 

To obtain a phytosanitary certificate, exporters had to manually submit paper application forms to the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection (SSUFSCP). This agency handled around 220,000 such requests every year and the cost of obtaining a certificate varied depending on the crop, type of transport and cargo volume. This constituted a significant administrative burden for exporters.  

Making an application also required a laboratory analysis to confirm that goods are free of pests and diseases entailing separate trips to the laboratory and to a regional SSUFSCP office, increasing costs and incurring delays for traders.  

Furthermore, companies had to use a government account to pay for the entire process and forward physical proof of payment. Without this, no inspection would take place and a certificate could not be issued.   

The current conflict compounded the need to digitalise the system and integrate it into the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) ePhyto Hub, enabling electronic phytosanitary certificate exchange. 

Beyond the obvious economic consequences for Ukraine and its agricultural sector, which represents 10.6% of total GDP and employs 14% of the population, the slow exports and resulting price hikes can have an impact on global food security.   

 

What We Did

The Alliance supported SSUFSCP and the private sector in introducing the IPPC ePhyto Solution, easing access to most of the country’s main trading partners systems. 

Enabling ePhyto exchange with a growing number of countries through a central hub, quickly, accurately and at low cost mitigates the risk of damage, loss or error while also reducing the administrative burden on both border agencies and business. 

In addition to IT inputs to adapt the national system to the requirements of the hub, change management involved extensive training for agency staff and the private sector on using the new system.  

The Alliance conducted an awareness campaign targeted at business to ensure a smooth transition from the current paper-based system to a digital environment and to encourage widespread adoption. 

To enhance sustainability, the project developed standardised training kits and a ‘train-the-trainer’ approach to strengthen delivery maintenance into the future. 

 

The Impacts

Introducing the IPPC ePhyto Solution has measurable short and long-term benefits for Ukraine and global food security.   

Connecting Ukraine to the  IPPC ePhyto Hub improves the security, efficiency, transparency, and predictability of the country’s cross-border agricultural trade in several ways, including:  

  • reducing the difficulties associated with the exchange of paper certificates 
  • improving scheduling and planning for the arrival and clearance of plants and plant products 
  • reducing delays in receiving replacement phytosanitary certificates 
  • enabling the more efficient storage, management, and access to electronic information 
  • decreasing the time to process phytosanitary certificate applications
  • streamlining border procedures. 

In the short term, adoption of the IPPC ePhyto Solution can help ease blockages resulting from inefficient trade administration procedures. The planned involvement of neighbouring countries will further strengthen supply chains.  

In the current conflict situation, digitalising the application process can mitigate or even eliminate potentially dangerous journeys undertaken by employees to obtain paper certificates, enhancing personal safety. 

In the long term, exporters and importers will benefit from the time and cost reductions associated with the digitalisation of the phytosanitary certification process.