In some market segments the price differential between high quality and low quality products14 does not seem sufficient to justify small traders’ investment in becoming familiar with standards and certification and making use of national public-sector laboratory testing and certification services. The varying quality of many agricultural commodities often restricts commercial exchanges to strictly immediate contacts, because of the lack of trust as to the quality shipped and pushes intermediaries to inspect and re-pack consignments at each transfer stage. Furthermore, the perceived risk of low-quality agro-food products exacerbates the shortage of formal credit in the sector. An effective standards system would support the trade orientation of agricultural production by providing technical reference and supporting claims for value addition.