Brazil Sets Sights for Organic Agriculture

At BioFach America Latina, Latin America’s largest organic agriculture trade fair (November 16-18, 2005), Brazilian Minister of Agriculture Roberto Rodrigues outlined goals of the Brazilian government to dramatically increase organic production and to establish a national organic seal. The Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (APEX) also launched a project called the Brazil Organics Project to promote and enhance the export of organic products.

As part of his keynote speech, Rodrigues announced the establishment of a government seal which would guarantee the origin and quality of organic agricultural products, placing Brazil in a competitive position to access international markets. Rodrigues said that the government seal will help to facilitate the identification of organic products that currently are certified by private standards. “In next the three to four months we will finalize the definition of the regulation and, therefore, the seal and other instruments for the sector,” he said. Organic agriculture in Brazil represents less than 3% of total agricultural production in the country. “There is enormous room for growth (in the organic sector), and we intend to achieve 20% organic in next the five to six years, stimulated mainly by small producers.”

In addition, the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (APEX) has invested over $800,000 in the Brazil Organics Project, in part to increase the participation of Brazilian organic companies at BioFach organic trade fairs in Nuremberg, the US and Japan, and to link buyers and journalists to organic projects in Brazil by supporting their participation at BioFach America Latina. “The project aims to take national organic products to be shown abroad. We are supporting the necessary space in order to have those products shown on several continents,” explains Ming Liu, manager of the Brazil Organics Project.