Organic certification: problems and solution in Nepal

 

Organic certification is the process of certifying your product that confirms product has meet some organic standard and has been grown organically. In case of Nepal, around 26 percent of area is organically grown but only 0.02 percent of area is certified as organic. As a result of problem is organic certification farmers are forced to sell their product at lower price and there is also challenge in the marketing and trading of the organic product. Thus it is becoming major concern for the farmers. Organic Certification Nepal (OCN) is the national certifying body that certify the organic agricultural product and processing in Nepal.

Here are some problems for the organic certification process in case of Nepal. They are;

1) Complicated process:

One of the major reason for problems in organic certification is that it includes number of process that it is complicated and takes time for the farmers. For this, farmers first need to identify the certifying agency and then need to submit the application including the package of report of all operational practices, methods of farming, management and handling planning, and use of inputs like chemical fertilizer, pesticides , breeding records, ledgers, tax return and other. Then after, inspection and final decision by the certifying body will takes place which is seems to be long process so farmers group show less interest towards it.

2) Expensive:

Certification cost goes expensive and it is not economical for the small and medium sized farmers.

3) Lack of the awareness:

Most of the farmers have inadequate understanding of how organic certification works, their important for market access and profitability, how they help them to prove their products to be organic. Thus they hesitate to go for certification process.

4) Lack of the development of collaborative approaches between small and big certification bodies in order to increase and mainstreaming the organic certification process.

5) Increasing number of regulation:

Instability in rules and standard on certification process are also creating obstacles in organic certification process in nepal.

6) Lack of technical and skilled manpower:

Farmers have inadequate technical capacity to develop certifiable production operation. Similarly there is lack of skilled manpower for the inspection process during organic certification process.

However, there are some solution to sort out these problems to some extent. They are;

1) Organization of extension service program:

First step is to spread the awareness about the importance of organic certification process, how to go for the organic certification ( most of the farmers don’t even know the procedure for organic certification).

2) “Chaklabandi” of land of the small holder farmers so that don’t have to bear the high certification cost.

3) Increase technical and skilled manpower ( Inspector as well as producer).

4) Government and the National organic certification agency should prioritized the organic certification process and should set the proper policies and regulations for the proper functionality of the certifying agencies.

5) Initiation or establishment of collaborative action for the ease of the organic certification process instead of acting as a independent certifying body.

6) Development of even more simple and easier way for the organic certification process for the farmers so that the farmers show interest toward it if possible.

( Note:  Shilpa Devkota is a Student at Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS), 6th semester and She is Vice secretary at Youth For Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture (YCSA) Nawalparasi)