BioFach América Latina Seminar
Cusco - Peru
August 30, 2005

I BIOFACH AMÉRICA LATINA SEMINAR – PERU
IN SEARCH OF THE INTEGRATION OF ORGANIC MARKETS IN LATIN AMERICA

On the 30 of August, in the city of Cuzco, the International BioFach América Latina Seminar took place: “In search of the integration of organic markets in Latin America”. The same was organized by the following national institutions: the Comission for the Promotion of Exportations (PROMPEX), the National Association of Ecological Producers (ANPE – PERU), the Network of Ecological Agriculture (RAE – PERU), the Institute of Development for the Environment (IDMA) and the National Comission of Organic Products (CONAPO) and from Brazil the group in charge Planeta Orgânico.

The seminar was carried forth together with the X National Encounter of Ecological Producers that counted with the participation of more than 250 representatives of producers from all over the country.

Also participating in the seminar were enterpreneurs, employees, certifier companies and NGO´s with the purpose of initiating the process of integration of organic markets given an analysis of opportunities and strategies that can generate coordinated action between countries, promoting the international exchange of organic products in the region.

The seminar developed in two modules; the first during the morning with expositions about the following themes:

The organic market of Peru
In charge of Julio César Rejas of PROMPEX, who presented the general characteristics of agriculture in Peru and some realities and myths of organic agriculture, to immediately analize the future of our organic supply showing the main products and international markets, along with the evolution of the internal market.

The organic market in Brazil and the Proposal of Biofach América Latina
Presented by Rosina Cordeiro, who introduced the group Planeta Orgânico, the evolution of organic agriculture in Brazil, the main organic products by region, the strong and weak points in the development of organic products. The BIOFACH initiative was also presented and the balance of development of the two BIOFACH Brasil editions and the results of seminars taken place in Brazil and in some countries of Latin America within the PPP project, inviting for the next edition of BIOFACH América Latina which will happen together with the first edition of Expo Sustentat.

The organic normative body in Latin America
This exposition was made by Roberto Ugas, teacher at the University Agrária La Molina, representative of the university for the National Commission of Organic Products and member of the Program of Homologation of IFOAM. The exposition focused on the following areas, in the number of organic products and in how the profits of the organic producers are distributed world-wide, in the proliferation of regulations and norms and in which are the criteria for its application; the aspects of homologation were explained, certification and inspection. Likewise with the existing relations between the norms of attributes of value and its relation with the regulations in the organic agriculture. The elaboration of norms and its application evidenced diverse problems that surge from not considering the participation of the main actors (producers) in the moment of conceiving the norms in different countries, IFOAM’s point of view in relation to norms (voluntary) and regulations (obligatory) and why it is necessary to establish norms.

The organic normative body in Peru
Presented by Julia Salazar, representative of the National Service of Agrarian Health (SENASA), in which global normalization concerning aliments is exposed and programs realized with international cooperation; the importance of the organic production covering three aspects: economic, agronomic and sustainable; the conception of  importância da produção orgânica abordando três aspectos: econômico, agronômico e sustentável; the conception of organic normalization in Peru and the presentation of the regulation by itself, to culminate with the functions and objectives for the years 2005 and 2006 of SENASA, in its quality of Competent Authority in Organic Production Matter.

In the afternoon module diverse experiences in commercialization were presented and the point of view of ecological consumers in relation to the problems found in reference to the consumption of organic products, to culminate with expositions about the balance in the promotion of organic agriculture in Peru and in Brazil.

IEMPLAN Experience

It’s a company of Cuzco dedicated to extraction, commercialization and exportation of essential, organic oils: “cedroncillo” and “arrayán”, coming from the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It was created in August of 2000 in the department of Cuenta with four years of experience as a company, although it inherits from IEPLAM (Institute of Ecology and Medicinal Plants, NGO of Cuzco), strategic partner, a trajectory of 13 years, which is transmitted by its partners and workers.

To this date, Aroma Inka is a distinguished peruvian company of exportation of essential non-sour oils, given its permanency, volumes and prices.

Experience of the National Association of Ecological Producers (IANPE – PERU)
The association was created in 1996 and one of its main achievements was in agrouping more than 5.000 producers from diverse regions of Peru, developing an intense work in BIOFÉRIAS REGIONAIS, space under which the majority of its associates manage to commercialize their organic products. At the present time, ANPE PERU works arduously in the development of certifications that can be a way of development for thousands of producers.

Experience of AEDES

It is an NGO of the city of Arequipa, specialized in promoting biobusiness in the mark of managing processes of basins and of descentralization, for sustainable development. The social process is the motor of commercialization of agro-ecological Andean seeds.

IMAGEN Experience
Organization of Cuzco constituted by female producers of medicinal plants and organic aromatics, that connects with the market promoting the sustainable use of resources through the adoption of agro-ecological control practices. Presently, they commercialize their production exclusively in the internal market, but are readying themselves to start exporting products.

ECOLOGICA PERU Experience

The Group Ecológica Peru has an objective to promote the development of the fairtrade ecological market, establishing a solidary relation between producers and consumers, having as channels of commercialization the organization BIOFÉRIAS and managements in Supermarkets for the sending of organic products. The evolution of commercialization in these two channels were shown, likewise with their perspectives.

Point of view of the Ecological Consumers

This presentation was given to the President of the Ecological Consumers Committee, Cecília Jurado, who presented the reasons and expectations of consuming an ecological product, besides evidencing which are the problems that revolve around organic products parting from the consumer’s viewpoint. She made a brief, informative summary of the Ecological Consumers’ Committee, its conformation and which are the steps taken and have to be followed.

The last two expositions had as an objective the presentation of work realized in Brasil and in Peru in the Promotion of Organic Products.

The Balance of the Promotion of Organic Products in Peru

Realized by Maria Beatriz Costa, Director of Planeta Orgânica, who informed about diverse results, product of investigations realized with consumers on organic products, likewise with studies about the evolution of commercialization channels and the global tendency of market niches and its complementation with organic products; the results were also presented based on where actions should be applied with priority for the development of organic products.

The Balance of the Promotion of Organic Products in Peru

Realized by Fernando Alvarado, of the Rede de Agricultura Ecológica de Peru (RAE PERU) and of the National Commission of Organic Products Comissão (CONAPO), who presented the evolution in the last 25 years of Ecological Agriculture in Peru, the accomplished advances and the national organic supply, along with the profits and the necessities in relation to promotion and given suggestions for the achievement of results in the development of ecological agriculture.

After this work journey that lasted the whole day, the participants evidenced the necessity to constitute a sistem of communications at the level of Latin America, which would permit the obtention and offer of informations with the objective of developing the latin-american organic market in a balanced and ordained way.