Organic produce And now for that certificate

Access to the growing organic produce markets in the West is subject to strict rules of certification. In Europe, produce has to conform with various certification schemes, rooted in the rules established by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). So if you want to start exporting organic produce, here are the steps to take. First call on a certification body which is recognised in the importing countries. You will need to enter into a contractual arrangement with them, under which you can get advice about the different stages of production, obtain the necessary licence and sometimes even become part of their marketing chain. There are several bodies which cooperate with producers in ACP countries, including AIAB in Italy, Bio-Gro in New Zealand, Instituto Biodinamico in Brazil, KRAV in Sweden, NASAA in Australia, Naturland-Verband in Germany, OCIA and FVO in the USA, the Soil Association in Great Britain (these are all accredited by IFOAM, who can provide addresses); other bodies include Ecocert International and Bioherb based in Germany, and Skal and Agro-Eco in the Netherlands. You will receive a visit from a technical expert who will inspect each step of production and processing to see if it is in accordance with the criteria in the sector. If the check is positive, you will be issued with an annual licence (for you) and a certificate (for the product). These checks are run at least once a year. The licence and organic label will be withdrawn if you do not continue to adhere to the certified procedures. There is a charge for the contract; you will need to pay the costs of the technical expert (travel, accommodation, daily consulting fees). It will be worthwhile trying to arrange an inspection visit in conjunction with other producers, in a cooperative or association. Although there are moves to establish more local certification offices in ACP countries, at present there are very few : OAASA in South Africa, ABLH in Kenya, Ecocert in Madagascar, Skal International in Suriname, INADES in Tanzania, WWOOF in Togo (If you know of others, write and let us know). Some development offices such as the Export Promotion of Organic Products from Africa, which is part of the Swedish development cooperation agency SIDA, can provide finance to meet the costs of certification. To know more: IFOAM c/o Ökozentrum Imsbach D-66636 Tholey-Theley, Germany Fax: + 49 6853-30110 Email: IFOAM@t-online.de IFOAM contact in Uganda: F J Wajje Email: uganda@wvi.org IFOAM contact in Senegal: E H H Hane Email: agrinat@enda.sn Sida-INEC (EPOPA) Private Sector Development Division 105 25 Stockholm, Sweden Fax: + 46 8 20 47 31 Email: anette.persson@sida.se OAASA PO Box 98 347 Sloane Park 2152, South Africa Fax: + 27 11 7942169 Email: 1054130@beltel.co.za ABLH PO Box 39042 Nairobi, Kenya Fax: + 254 2 521482 Email: ablh.sec@net2000ke.com Ecocert Lot VD 13 bis, Amparibe Antananarivo, Madagascar Tel: + 261 20 226 5629 SHOGA PO Box 930 Blantyre, Malawi Fax: + 265 671427 Email: pirimiti@malawi.net INADES-Formation PO Box 203 Dodoma, Tanzania Fax: + 255 61 354 722 Email: inades-fo@maf.org WWOOF BP 25 Agou Nyogbo, Togo Fax: + 228 47 1012 Skal International Madeliefjestraat 14 Zorg en Hoop Paramaribo, Suriname Fax: + 597 41 0555 Email: wirhtww@sr.net EU Regulation 'Organic Farming'. A Legal and Agro-Ecological Commentary on the EU s Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91 H Schmidt & M Haccius, GTZ, Margraf, 1998. 430 pp. ISBN 3 8236 1288 3 CTA number 972. 40 credit points.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
Format:	News Item biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation 2000
Online Access:	https://hdl.handle.net/10568/46816 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99589
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