CAF signs quality agreement with Adex

The Andean Development Corporation (CAF) has signed a non-reimbursable cooperation agreement with the Peruvian Exporters Association (Adex) to develop the standardise quality certification system that Peru requires to participate fully in international trade/

The plan to develop a national quality system in Peru will focus on productive activities and conformity assessment and aims to measure and improve the quality of export products. It is also an extension of export association programmes to enhance the competitiveness of Peruvian companies through initiatives promoting increased productivity, reduced costs and continuous quality improvement.

The primary initiative from the private sector is viewed as a preparation for further legal and administrative action from the government to establish the system.

"The project, which is sponsored by the CAF competitiveness support program (PAC), will prepare a plan to establish an international quality system which includes a new institutional framework and a methodology to guarantee implementation. The system will benefit business by facilitating technological innovation, improving productivity, and strengthening a business culture marked by specific quality and competitiveness benchmarks,” comments CAF assistant representative Ricardo Campins.

Adex was established in 1973 to represent and provide services to 1,550 members in the export, import and export service sectors. Its long standing goal to improve quality certification and export promotion has become more urgent against the backdrop recent trade agreements.

"After the signing of the free trade agreement with United States, the task is now to implement the agreement and prepare Peru to benefit from the opportunities of the opening of the new market. In this respect, the project is strategic because it addresses a very important issue for the country's competitiveness. It is also demonstrative because it is an initiative which has the consensus of the private and public sectors which should serve as an example to other institutions involved in the area," comments ADEX president José Luis Silva.