Instrucciones específicas para llenar el documento de notificación

ROBERTO AZOFEIFA1

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock recognizes that organic production in Costa Rica is developing positively thanks to considerable support from the public sector as well as their dynamic private sector. There is considerable information and knowledge available in Costa Rica as well as a national legislation provides a clear framework for production and trade. There is also considerable international and domestic demand for organic products. These factors contribute to the organic sector’s healthy development now and in the future. At the same time, the Costa Rican organic production needs to overcome barriers and gaps, so that organic agriculture can gain more acceptance among producers and market actors. The main barriers for the organic sector development in Costa Rica are (i) lack of infor- mation from the producers about alternative pest and disease management, (ii) high cost of certification, especially for farmers who produce for the domestic market, (iii) weak domes- tic market, (iv) weak partnerships among organic producers, and therefore (v) lack of con- sistency and continuity in the product range, as well as (vi) insufficient product quality and (vii) lack of competitive prices for products.

Area and producers

According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock there were 3’000 organic producers in the country on 8’000 hectares. Of these, about 30 percent produce organic bananas, 30 percent produce cocoa, and the remaining percentage produces a num- ber of crops, the main crop being coffee.

Most of the producers are small farmers organized in farmers’ associations, cooperatives, and other types of organizations. In terms of area, the main organic products are bananas (4’294 hectares), pineapples (1’319 hectares), coffee (1’132 hectares), and oranges (615 hectares).

Most organic producers are members of the Costa Rican Organic Agriculture Movement (Movimiento de Agricultura Orgánica Costarricense - MAOCO). The members of this pub- lic-private association are producer organizations, NGOs, and public institutions. Its objec- tive is to support the organic sector and stakeholders in the organic chain. Information about MAOCO is available on www.agriculturaorganica.org.

Certifying agencies

In the country, there are four certification agencies, which are registered at the authority in charge, the Organic Agriculture Accreditation and Registration Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Costa Rica.

- Ecologica: Authorized to certify products for export to the European Union, USA, and the domestic market, website www.eco-logica.com;

1 _{Roberto Azofeifa, Departamento de Producción Sostenible; Dirección Nacional de Extensión Agropecuaria, Mi-} nisterio de Agricultura y Ganadería, 10094-1000 San José, Costa Rica, E-mail [email protected], Internet www.mag.go.cr

- BCS-Öko-Garantie: Authorized to certify products for export to the European Union and the domestic market, www.bcs-oeko.com;

- Control Unión: Authorized to certify products for the European Union and the domes- tic market, website www.cuperu.com;

- Mayacert S.A.: Authorized to certify products for export to the European Union, USA, Japan, Korea, and other countries.

Processors

According to statistics from the Accreditation and Registration Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, 43 processors are registered, of which 42 percent are coffee processors.

Domestic market

Organic products for the domestic market are sold at both local farmers markets where consumers buy their products direct- ly from the organic producers (local farm- ers’ markets) and at major supermarket chains.

Mainly local products are sold such as fresh vegetables and some processed products such as coffee, sugar, chocolate, and jam. Imported products are marketed in smaller quantities.

According to information provided by the Costa Rican Organic Agriculture Movement MAOCO, the domestic market for organic products is two million US dollars annually. Export

Large amounts of the organic production is exported to developed countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and the European Union. According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Trade in 2009

more than 54’000 metric tons of certified products were exported. The economic value was more than 26 million US dollars.

In the European Union the main market is Holland, with slightly more than 50 percent of all Costa Rican organic exports going there.

The most important organic products exported to the European Union in 2009 were pine- apples (42.3 percent),1 _{bananas (28.6 percent), oranges (22.6 percent), sugar cane (5.1 per-}

cent), and cocoa (1.4 percent). Other important markets for organic products from Costa Rica are Italy, the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, and France.

1 _{Percentage expressed in terms of metric tons.}

49% 23%

6%

4% 18%

The Netherlands United States

Belgium Germany

Others

Figure 36: Costa Rica: Exports by destina- tion 2009 (total export value: 26 million US dollars)

Legislation and institutional support

Organic production in Costa Rica has government support through several laws and regula- tions. The most important ones are:

- Organic Law of the Environment, N°7554, November 1995 - Regulation on Organic Agriculture, N°29782, September 2001

- Law on the Fostering of Sustainable Agricultural Production, N°8408, April 2004 - Law on Development Promotion and fostering of organic activity, N°8591, June 2007. - National Policy for the Agri-food sector and Rural Development in Costa Rica 2010-

2021.

- Third country list of the European Union. Government support

Organic production in Costa Rica receives support from governmental institutions and international organizations in the field of teaching and research. The most important insti- tutions are:

- Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock: Technical assistance, training, and economic incentives;

- Ministry of Foreign Trade: Participation in international trade fairs, business rounds, trade missions;

- National Universities and Public Institutes related to the agricultural sector: Research and training;

- International organizations: Research and training.

Outlook

In 2010, with the technical support of international cooperation organizations based in the country as well as various government agencies and private organic sector representatives, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock developed an integrated plan of action for pro- moting organic production in the next four years.

Through the plan, important goals in three thematic priority areas were established: re- search and transfer of agricultural technology, promotion and marketing, and a detailed assessment of the state of organic production.

Research and technology transfer

Research and technology transfer are under the leadership of the Program of Research and Transfer of Organic Agricultural Technology (a public-private program), in which various governmental institutions conducting research are involved. Furthermore, international agencies, farmers’ organizations, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

Its overall objective is to facilitate the research and transfer processes, focusing on technical options to promote organic agricultural production for the domestic and for international markets.

The main goals regarding research and technology transfer are:

- To develop a platform for information on results of research in organic production in the country, which will be available for extensionists and producer organizations;

- To carry out an assessment of the research needs from all stakeholders of the organic chain in the country;

- To develop a training program based on producers’ needs and oriented towards the implementation of technical options to resolve the main constraints affecting organic production;

- To carry out an outreach program of experience based on the results of technical op- tions valid under on-farm management conditions.

Promotion and marketing

To develop promotion and marketing, the Ministry of Foreign Trade, international cooper- ation agencies as well as the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock are involved. Its overall objective is to promote the development of the national and international markets for or- ganic products of Costa Rica.

The main goals are the following:

- To develop a strategy for the promotion and marketing in 2011 to strengthen the im- age of organic production in the national and international market, both on the part of consumers and producers;

- To develop a marketing program in 2011 that permits in the medium term an increase in demand and production of organic products;

- To implement a promotion program for organic certification, which includes (i) promo- tion of alternative certification systems such as participatory guarantee systems for domestic markets, (ii) capacity building of producers, technicians and consumers as well as (iii) economic incentives.

State of organic production

This area will be carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The objective is to have an updated database on the state of organic production in the country, which will enhance the decision-making on public aid and private for the promotion of organic pro- duction. The main goal is to have a detailed characterization of organic production at the national level by the end of the year 2011.

Links

- www.mag.go.cr: Homepage of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock

- www.protecnet.go.cr/agricultura_organica: Homepage of the Organic Agriculture Ac- creditation and Registration Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Costa Rica. Information on organic agriculture, including statistics