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Organic food production act approved
 Organic coffee being grown in Marcala together with live plant barriers.
By IXCHEL GRANADA
TEGUCIGALPA - The government of Honduras has recently established regulations that aim to standardize organic agriculture and potentially place the country in the organic food production market. Congressional members considered both the value of protecting the environment and a growing global organic market as important factors, which led to the law’s approval. The law was created in response to the need to regulate the production, certification and commercialization of in-country organic products, which would assure international buyers of the validity of the organic seal.
The law enumerates the requirements and regulations that anyone interested in organic agriculture should follow. These include:
Chapter 1, Article 2., It is protected under the denomination of organic, biologic or biodynamic those products of agricultural origin that can be certified and in which in its production, processing, conservation and marketing has not employed any chemical and or synthetic products considered prohibited.
Chapter 1, Article 4., The government, furthermore, declares that: In order to the protect the use of the term “organic agriculture”, the application of its regulations, the control of these regulations, the control of all the instances related to the production and certification, and finally the control on marketing and quality control of all the products it is the sole responsibility of the National Service of Land and Cattle, from now on known as SENASA , contingent on the Secretary of Agriculture and Cattle – SAG.
Chapter 2, Article 9., Those organisms which are either genetically modified or obtained through genetic engineering and those products derived from such genetically modified organisms are not considered compatible with the principles of organic production and therefore the use of such material is strictly prohibited.
Chapter 3, Article 12., The process in which SENASA legally recognizes and authorizes individuals and institutions which offer inspection and certification services is hereby under the governance of SENASA.
The law itself defines the objective and principles of organic agriculture.
The systems of organic production are based on standards of very precise and specific production whose end is to optimize agro-ecosystems from the ecological, social, and economic points of view. This law also specifies where the production is to take place, categorizing units whose parcels, zones of production, processing, transformation and storage are clearly separated from any other unit that is not producing according to the organic production ordinances.
The organic agricultural law typifies fines as: minor fines, less severe, and severe fines. Fines for infringing upon denominated statutes can be upwards of Lps. 500,000.
Organic certification emerging in Honduras
By IXCHEL GRANADA
SIGUATEPEQUE – Sugar cane, coffee and bananas are a few of the principle organic goods produced in Honduras. With recent legislation passed in Congress, demand for certification of these goods is on the rise and the need for organic agencies and inspectors is following suite.
BioLatina, pertaining to the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), is one such certification agency with nine out of the eighteen departamentos or states throughout the country- side in organic production. Any and all certification agencies must be licensed with the Honduran government and comply with the Organic Production Act of 2002. Additionally, all organic institutions must act in accordance with ISO 65 which are a series of international standards for organic production. The movement to create an agency is Honduras is five years old and while over 25 different groups specialize in organic products none has been firmly established.
Approximately 1,000 to 1,200 producers are in the process of certifying their particular product as organic. Only 500 are actually certified and the remaining are in transition. A transitional operation means that use of chemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides are being phased-out. An organic operation indicates that no synthetic chemicals or fertilizers were used in the production of the merchandise. Organic also implies that the farm and or garden is in balance with the local ecological systems whereby nearby forests, wetlands, streams, wildlife and human life are protected and nurtured.
BioLatina’s central offices are located in Siguatepeque and are organizing a series of ecological certification workshops. These workshops take place over a four-month period and prepare individuals as organic inspectors which will complete the cycle and infrastructure for organic systems.
Silvio Zepeda, Regional Representative for BioLatina described some of the obstacles faced by certification agencies in Honduras.
“Many individuals and or organizations which are interested in certifying their plots don’t have the financing to pay for the certification process. Although in many cases International NGO’s finance the work, many are still left behind. Secondly, farmers are sometimes reticent in exploring alternative farming techniques and particularly in taking the leap into organic production. As a certification agency we encounter situations where the product is certified but when it comes to securing their product on the market, there is a failure in commercialization and marketing of the product ”. Organic food production is certainly an emerging market but needs the support system that our counterparts in Europe and the U.S. enjoy.
For more information on BioLatina’s certification course: Silvio Zepeda, 987 4116 or email at
silviozepeda@yahoo.com.mx
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First Organic Agriculture Congress to be held in August
By SUYAPA CARIAS
In an attempt to promote organic agriculture nationwide among producers and consumers, the Ministry of Agriculture along with several agriculture related entities will sponsor the first National Congress of Organic Agriculture next August 16 to 17 in the Department of Cortes.
At an informative meeting held recently in Tegucigalpa, members of the event’s organizational committee told the media that the congress is aimed at divulging work experiences achieved by national and international experts, producers and companies related to the legal frame, research, processing, transformation and commercialization of organic products.
Meanwhile, an expo-sale of national organic products has also been programmed, as a way of introducing Honduran consumers to the advantages of using these products and providing the conditions necessary for independent and organized producers and other related enterprises to meet one another.
Motivating element
“Organic agriculture is understood as any production system that becomes sustainable with time, through the use of exclusively natural resources and the total absence of chemical substances,” said Carlos
Carranza, a committee representative from the German cooperation.
“We view the upcoming congress as the motivating element that will allow us to strengthen this practice in Honduras,” he continued. According to the speaker, organic agriculture has great expectations in Honduras, and provides valuable advantages to human health and the environment.
“Currently, there are eight organizations and a small number of independent producers who are making such a practice a reality, but the idea is to expand it to massive levels.”
Among the companies already using this system are the Cooperativa Raos in La Paz, Cocoa de Honduras and the Standard Fruit Company.
Also, both traditional and non-traditional products like banana, coffee, cocoa, ginger, lemons and oranges are being cultivated under organic standards and are being exported with increasing acceptance to Europe and the United States.
About the program
From August 14 to 16, the congress will include conferences by local and foreign specialists from Latin America and Europe, experience exchange, an on site tour and a cultural night that will be held at the facilities of the Honduran Foundation of Agricultural Research
(FHIA), Cortes. The expo-sale will take place at the Megaplaza shopping center in San Pedro Sula on August 16 and 17.
The first National Congress of Organic Agriculture is sponsored by
SAG-DICTA-SENASA, GTZ-CATIE, ANAFAE, FHIA, RAOS-APOH, COHASA II, DED, Zamorano Agricultural School,
FUNBANHCAFE, APROCACAHO, OIRSA, VIFINEX, RED COMAL and DINADERS.
Admission per participant is Lps. 500. For more information, call Roberto Tejada at
FHIA, Tel. 668-2470, 668-2078, e-mail: congresorganico1@gbm.hn.
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