To improve trade flow, the Dominican Government will adopt the electronic phytosanitary certification system (ePhyto/GeNs) with the support of the Government of the United States through its Trade Safe (TraSa) project.
This innovative tool harmonizes standards and facilitates transactions through electronic certificates, thus replacing traditional paper certificates.
This makes it possible to optimize the security of official communications between countries and reduces costs by reducing complex processes concerning the exchange of electronic data.
ePhyto/GeNs will be implemented by the Dominican Ministry of Agriculture and is promoted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in partnership with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).
The Minister of Agriculture, Limber Cruz, highlighted that this tool would streamline the procedures required to import and export plant products.
TraSa project manager Brian Rudert noted that the implementation of ePhyto/GeNs would increase process efficiency by replacing 62,000 paper forms with electronic ones, representing an automatic impact on reducing transit time through ports of entry. In addition, he said that in the case of perishable products, they would be able to move faster, guarantee more shelf life, which means benefits for everyone.
The TraSa project has been supporting the Department of Plant Health of the Ministry of Agriculture with the adoption of the ePhyto system through strengthening the capacities of inspectors of the Department with the use of this tool. Similarly, the project foresees an investment of approximately US$250,000 to integrate the ePhyto system with the Single Window for Foreign Trade (VUCE) system.
The director of the Department of Plant Health of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rosa Lazala, explained that they are the executing body of ePhyto/GeNs and urged all sectors involved in export and import activities to have confidence in the change to digital, and at the same time integrate into the use of this tool.
“This tool is safe, easy to use and quick to transmit the forms, which translates into direct economic benefits for these sectors and the country,” he said during the launch of the certificate yesterday at the Dominican Fiesta hotel.