Agricultural trade expands as the country moves up an invisible ladder of success that starts with discrete buy-sell transactions, then progresses to seasonal or annual trade deals, renewable programs, and ultimately to long-term commercial and personal relationships. Moving up that ladder requires in-depth know-how about products, markets and competition that public sector officials rarely possess. If a major economic objective of the country is expanded volume and value of agriculturally-derived exports, and SPS problems constrain those exports, it is crucial that private agro-enterprises that really understand the constraints play a significant role in prioritizing and resolving them. For those reasons, after prior consultation with the national SPS agencies, and hopefully with their active involvement, Abt Associates has proposed to concentrate first on mobilizing support for a new (or revitalized) SPS working group, working with leading economic actors in all key industry clusters and supply chains. This could be a single group for all SPS issues, or groups that aim to work on the three major areas: human/plant/animal health and life. Either way, by engaging all stakeholders in vital issues, a vibrant, sustainable national SPS working group will be much easier to assemble. Minor actors will tend to follow, and the entire group will have much more drive and influence than it otherwise would have.

On the other hand, players engaged in supply chains are not the only stakeholders of concern. SPS measures are not only designed to facilitate trade but also to protect consumers and the environment, so the national SPS working group once formed should also encourage participation by representatives of other interest groups, especially environmentalists and consumer advocates. A major tactical challenge for the contractor selected to carry out this WTO activity is to work closely and fairly steadily