the world of organic agriculture - Organic Eprints

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The World of Organic Agriculture 2006
Bolivia has chains of shops selling organic products, especially in La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa
Cruz de la Sierra. The Tiendas Ecológicas AOPEB sell only certified products, and other shops
like Irupana, Eco Market, El Ceibo and Protal sell also some uncertified, “natural” products from
small farmers associations.
In January 2000 the Basic Norm for Ecological Agriculture in Bolivia, presented by AOPEB
(Association of Organizations of Ecological Producers of Bolivia), universities and the Bolivian
Standardizing Institute, was approved under the ministerial resolution NB 907/001/2000. In
2003 a national law presented by the movement is being discussed in the legislative.
The Technical Co-ordination Committee within the Ministry of Agriculture is working on a
National Policy for Ecological Production.
Some private institutions carry research programs on organic agriculture, like AOPEB,
Productividad Biosfera Medio Ambiente (PROBIOMA), Promoción e Investigación de Productos
Andinos (PROIMPA). Also the two state universities, the Agrochemical Program of the
Universidad Mayor de San Simón and the Institute of Ecology are developing organic research.
Bolivia has an IFOAM accredited national certifier, Bolicert, and many foreign certifiers acting
in the country.
16.7.3 Brazil
In 2001 Brazil had 275’576 certified hectares. In 2003, there were 803’180. Today, the total
land under organic management is 6’587’637 hectares, now including big areas of wild collection
amounting to 5’700’000 hectares, especially in the Amazon jungle, called “agroextrativismo”.
Agriculture amounts for 887’637 hectares.
There is also a huge quantity of informally certified or non-certified organic production, especially
in the southern states of Rio Grande, Parana and Sao Paulo. The calculated number of organic
producers is around 14’000. The total formally certified production reached 200 million USD 2 in
2003. 90 percent of the farms are smallholdings. The growth of organic production is calculated
in between 40 and 50 percent annual, growing more in 2005.
Exports are mainly raw products, like coffee, banana, soybeans, corn, etc. There is a growing
export business of organic meat. Some processed products like concentrated fruit juices; sugar,
processed soy and others are beginning to find international markets.
The domestic market in Brazil is, together with Argentina, the most developed in Latin America.
45 percent of the sales in the domestic market are done through supermarkets, 26 percent
through fairs and 16 percent in specialized stores. Most of the products are fresh vegetables
and fruits, but there is a growing number of processors, both companies and small family units,
processing tea, coffee, mate tea, jams, oils, breakfast cereals, dairy products.
2 200 million USD = 165.2 million EUR (per 31.12.2005)