ABSTRACT
Rapid growth of organic markets in developed countries presents promising opportunities for producers and exporters of organic products, including in developing countries. Discussions in a number of forums, including UNCTAD, FAO and IFOAM, have indicated that the plethora of certification requirements and regulations are considered to be a major, if not the key, obstacle for a continuous and rapid development of the organic sector, especially for producers in developing countries. The organic market is confronted with hundreds of private sector standards and governmental regulations, two international standards for organic agriculture (Codex Alimentarius Commission and IFOAM) and a host of conformity assessment and accreditation systems. Mutual recognition and equivalency among these systems is extremely limited. Lack of cooperation and ‘harmony’ is a central problem.
