The Advisory Commission for Organic Production analyzed the macroeconomic contribution of the sector
16 Apr 2021
With a total of 4.4 million hectares, presence in all regions and with a registry of 1922 operators in the sector, Argentina represents the second country worldwide in terms of certified organic production area, followed by Australia.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, through its Secretariat for Food, Bioeconomy and Regional Development, held the first meeting of the year of the Advisory Commission for Organic Production together with representatives of the public and private sectors.
“Organic production is strategic, being a productive system that generates added value, roots in the territory and sources of employment. 97% of what is certified by Senasa is exported, being strategic the contribution that the sector makes to the Argentine macroeconomy”, said the Secretary of Food, Bioeconomy and Regional Development, Marcelo Alós, who chaired the meeting.
In this meeting, which corresponds to No. 69 since the Commission was established, the statistics and situation of the sector were presented, highlighting that organic production has 4.4 million hectares in all regions of the country, with a 1922 registry of operators in the sector (between primary producers, processors and marketers). Regarding territorial representation, 32% corresponds to Patagonia; 19% to the Pampean Region; 24% to Cuyo; 10% to NOA and 15% to NEA. The recent Senasa report indicates that 132 thousand tons were certified, 20% more than in 2019.
In the institutional axis, the Organic Production Tables of Salta, NOA Regional and Northern Patagonia were presented. Likewise, the status of the normative equivalence negotiations with the European Union and the United States was reviewed, with the participation of the Agricultural Attachés in those destinations. Likewise, the monitoring of the 2030 Strategic Plan of the sector was addressed, which was made official by the Secretariat of Food, Bioeconomy and Regional Development through Resolution 17/2021, and prepared in conjunction with the actors of the chain and the organic sector. Regarding the role of the Advisory Commission, the Secretary mentioned its importance as a meeting place between the National State, the producing companies and the provincial and municipal States with the aim of achieving synergies in pursuit of the growth of the sector.
Representatives of provincial governments participated in it (among them Salta, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, Jujuy, Catamarca, Buenos Aires, Neuquén, Río Negro, Tierra del Fuego, Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Misiones, Mendoza, La Rioja , etc.), Senasa, CFI, INTA, INTI, INASE, ENCOPE, Argentine Agency for Investments and International Trade (AAICI), Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), universities (FAUBA and Universidad Católica de Santiago del Estero) , Obispo Colombres Experimental Station, Rodale Institute, various National Ministries, Argentine Movement for Organic Production (MAPO) and the Argentine Chamber of Food, Organic and Related Products Certifiers (CACER).
Organic food production comprises a system based on a holistic and integrated management of resources, to produce in a sustainable way. In the case of the food sector, it offers products without the remains of agrochemicals or genetically modified organisms, since it expressly excludes them, both in their raw material (field) and in their processing.
This production system seeks to take care of the environment and the health of consumers, guaranteeing quality attributes based on certification and traceability. In this sense, it is important that the products bear the certification body’s logo and the official “Organic Argentina” logo, the use of which is mandatory.
In Argentina they are regulated by Law 25,127 (1999), its regulatory Decrees and especially Senasa Resolution No. 374/2016. The system is approved with the EU, Switzerland and Japan.
Argentina exports organic products to 56 destinations, the main exported products being: industrialized (cane sugar, wine and pear puree); fruits (pears, apples and blueberries); cereals (white and brown rice and wheat) and oilseeds (soy and chia). The main destinations today are the United States and the European Union.
Source: Argentina.gob