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New
tools help developing-country farmers market organic produce
Rome – Organic farmers in developing countries will have
greater access to world markets, thanks to two practical tools
launched last week that seek to ease trade in organic agricultural
products.
The new tools, which are the outcome of six years of collaborative
work by FAO, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),
and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements
(IFOAM), the umbrella organisation for the organic sector
worldwide, will help streamline acceptance of products that
are traded internationally.
Equitool is a guide to help decision-makers assess whether
an organic production and processing standard applicable in
one region of the world is equivalent – that is, not
identical but equally valid – to another organic standard.
This tool facilitates trade while also safeguarding organic
production according to local socio-economic and agro-ecological
conditions.
The second tool, IROCB (International Requirements for Organic
Certification Bodies) is a minimum set of performance requirements
for organic certification bodies that will enable import of
products certified under foreign control systems.
The tools were approved at the final meeting of the International
Task Force on Harmonization and Equivalency in Organic Agriculture
(ITF) in Geneva. The task force, formed in 2003 by FAO, UNCTAD
and IFOAM, comprises representatives of governments, intergovernmental
agencies, and key stakeholders from the private sector, including
certifiers and accreditors.
A growing market
Organic trade is expanding at the rate of 15-20 percent
per year, and more than 100 countries currently export certified
organic products. But international organic trade is hindered
by a multitude of standards, regulations, and conformity assessment
systems.
Over 400 public and private certification bodies now operate
in the global organic marketplace. Products certified as organic
under one system are not easily recognized as organic under
another. This causes major headaches and costs for organic
producers and exporters wishing to sell in different markets.
These barriers can put the economic, environmental, health
and social benefits of organic agriculture beyond the reach
of many producers, particularly resource-poor farmers in developing
countries. It also leaves consumers paying higher prices for
a more limited selection of products.
“The organic market is steadily expanding, new issues
are emerging and organic standards and certification procedures
are in constant development,” says FAO Assistant Director-General
Alexander Mueller.
“Rather than losing time, money and markets in this jungle
of standards and regulations, the ITF has laid the basis for
harmonious cooperation for those interested in facilitating
the growth of the organic sector, while maintaining the integrity
of the system,” Mueller adds.
Standards
The ITF advocates that organic trade should be based
on international standards and the principle of equivalence,
and that organic certification bodies worldwide should meet
common performance requirements.
There are currently two international standards for organic
agriculture – the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission
Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing
of Organically Produced Food and the IFOAM Basic Standards.
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