An important conclusion that was drawn after the conference “Policies of sectoral development of organic agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe, ministerial points of view”, held on February 13, at the opening of Biofach 2019, was that the development of the sector depends, essentially, on the support given to the training of producers, processors and traders in organic certification.
The positive reference model presented at the conference, the one of the Czech Republic, had as an important objective on the sectoral policy “the support given to association on product chains, from producers to distributors”. Other countries in this area, like Hungary or Lithuania, have similar concerns. The organization of these channels is an important concern and strategic objective also expressed by Romania, through the voice of the Secretary of the State within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Maricel Floricel Dima.
The organization of organic product chains is encouraged at European level, benefiting from specific regulations, as well as from the help of large organizations supporting this field, such as IFOAM and FIBL.
“During the conference we had the opportunity to openly express our intention to organize the organic product chains in Romania by creating INTER-BIO, a recently established organization that has the support of many distinct associations, of which the association is already member of. We were also encouraged in this initiative by both the ministry and the world’s leading support organizations such as IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Associations) and FIBL (Organic Agriculture Research Institute).
Last but not least, the Swiss contribution program granted to the Romanian exporters, has strengthened this belief through the desire of small farmers that think that they need to organize themselves into supply chains. We are aware that we are at the beginning of the road with this approach, requiring a laborious recognition procedure, but the support we have is promising. Romania, if it wants to advance in the field of organic agriculture, needs such an interprofessional organization. The involvement of the university environment in this approach will give us advantages through research “said Associate Prof. Dr. Costin Lianu, Inter-Bio President, General Manager of USH Pro Business.