Geneva, 4 June 2010 -- Participants from 12 countries(1) in East, South-East, and South Asia have declared their intent to move forward on measures to reduce and avoid barriers to the trade of organic products in the region.
The decision was taken at a 27-29 May workshop on Harmonization and Equivalence for Organic Agriculture in Asia. The meeting was convened under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization/IFOAM/UNCTAD Global Organic Market Access (GOMA) project. IFOAM stands for the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements.
The GOMA project is a follow-up activity of the UNCTAD/FAO/IFOAM International Task Force on Harmonization and Equivalence in Organic Agriculture, which developed two practical tools (see below) for use by developing countries in establishing accredited organic agriculture sectors. GOMA provides guidance and assistance on effective use of the tools. It also builds on assistance provided by UNCTAD to the East African Community in developing the East African Organic Products Standard, the first regional standard on organic agriculture and trade in the developing world. That standard was launched in 2008.
Participants in the workshop said there is a strong rationale for taking steps to ease trade in organic products in the region, as organic agriculture can contribute to achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals -- which include halving extreme poverty by 2015 -- and can play a major role in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Organic agriculture improves farmers incomes, contributes to food security; and, because it contributes to better soil fertility and does not involve the use of agro-chemicals, it can be virtually climate neutral. The organic sector in the region already is growing dramatically.
At the Shanghai meeting, harmonizing organic standards and establishing equivalence among organic standards and conformity assessment systems were affirmed as the best approaches for achieving recognition within and beyond the region. Making further progress on harmonization and equivalence among organic standards in Asia is of strategic trade importance, because intra-Asian organic trade patterns are expected to follow those of conventional food, where 70% of exports occur within the region.
The participants agreed on the following actions, which will be supported by GOMA:
- Forming an open-ended public-private network to discuss conceptual and practical issues for regional cooperation on organic labeling and trade;
- Establishing a regional working group of interested parties to spearhead progress in organic harmonization, equivalency and cooperation arrangements.
Harmonized Standards: The regional working group will develop a regional organic standard through a public-private consultative process. This Asian Organic Standard will be based on core international norms and regional minimum requirements. The standard could be adopted by several or all of the region´s countries as a harmonized standard. It also could serve as the basis for establishing the equivalence of organic standards within the region.
Equivalence: The working group will identify opportunities to begin multi-lateral and/or bilateral equivalence discussions in the region using two "tools" previously developed through FAO/IFOAM/UNCTAD cooperation. These are the Guide for Assessing Equivalence of Organic Standards and Technical Regulations (EquiTool) and the International Requirements for Organic Certification Bodies (IROCB).
Cooperation: Mechanisms to promote further cooperation among accreditation and certification bodies working in the region´s organic sector will be addressed by the working group.
An initial meeting of the working group will be held in Mumbai at BioFach India/India Organic in December 2010. The IFOAM Organic World Congress in September 2011 was chosen as the target date for announcing complete achievement or substantial progress on the harmonized standard, equivalence agreements, and cooperation among conformity assessment bodies.
Endnotes
1. Bhutan, China, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam
