These ventures join four other already certified operators on the island and, like them, will soon be able to access the market with a differentiated, identifiable and guaranteed product.

This week, the Ministry of Production and Environment, together with local companies and the Argentine Chamber of Food, Organic and Related Products Certifiers (CACER), finalized the process of implementation of national organic standards.

With the aim of increasing the supply of organic products in the Province of Tierra del Fuego, as a strategy to add value, differentiation and valorization of local resources under sustainable production systems, since March this year, the Province has been providing technical assistance to 5 local enterprises in order to promote the incorporation of practices and documentary records required by the standard.

Once the implementation stages were completed, the participating companies underwent audits carried out by the International Organization for Animal and Plant Production (OIA – Food Quality).

The primary and processing companies that worked with the technical team of the Secretariat of Productive Development and SMEs, with financing from the Federal Investment Council (CFI), were Quinta Pionera, from Estancia Viamonte for the incorporation of black garlic, since the primary production is already under organic certification.

The company ATAMA Alimentos from Ushuaia also did the same for the incorporation of fresh sprouts and mushrooms.

Meanwhile, the textile company Ona Land from Río Grande, dedicated to the manufacture of clothing with pure sheep wool, found that the Organic Certification of this product is not within the scope of the Organic Regulations. This is due to the fact that, in the case of sheep wool, it reaches the stage of washed wool and Top wool. For this reason, the relevant steps were taken to include the certification of wool yarn (raw material for the company) and thus certify the fabrics produced by labeling them as “Made with Organic Wool” before SENASA.

Another of the companies that began its journey towards organic production is the Tolhuin nursery The Crosmuther Rosse, for the incorporation of cherry production. In this case, as it is a perennial crop, it has a conversion period of 3 years until its organic status, so the company will be able to market as organic in conversion, from the 1st year since the beginning of the monitoring.

Finally, Chacra San Antonio, in the city of Ushuaia, began its journey to incorporate the production of organic lettuce and arugula. The annual horticultural production has a 2-year conversion period to organic status and can be marketed as organic in conversion from the first year after the start of monitoring.

It should be noted that organic production maintains the sustainability of the system without eroding or contaminating it; it abandons input-dependent systems, seeking to incorporate non-polluting technologies and provides the producer with access to the market with a differentiated product.

For the consumer, organic food represents healthy food, indirect care of the environment and access to identifiable and guaranteed products.

Source: surenio