Australian Organic, owner of the nation’s largest certifying group, Australian Certified Organic says that China’s increasing demand for premium organic produce is providing a wealth of opportunities for Australian growers.
Joanna Barber, Australian Organic’s Commercial and Marketing Executive recently returned from China after signing a deal between Australian Certified Organic and Chinese organic certification group, the Organic Food Development and Certification Centre of China (OFDC).
Barber says that the deal follows years of negotiations and paves a smoother road for Australian exporters particularly within the beef and wine sector, but also for suppliers of Australian organic milk, dried fruits, nuts, citrus fruits, wheat flour and coffee.
“China has 1.3 billion people. While in China I also met with a company that has delivered certified organic produce to over 400,000 families. Organics is big business there,” said Barber.
According to Australian Organic, organic food production in China is worth over US$2.5 billion, and the demand is expected to exceed the world average.
In an effort to manage the strong growth in organic farming and the increase in exports, Barber says that Australian Organic has introduced the new ‘onboarding program’ to help businesses that are seeking organic certification.
“The new onboarding program will make the transition to organic farming easier for producers,” she says.
“We’re getting a lot of interest in certification from businesses that are quite new to the strict requirements of organic farming.
“Australian Organic wants to do everything we can to support businesses on their journey – to make it as successful as possible. This not only helps businesses to be more profitable but it also helps the organic industry as a whole meet the growing demand from consumers.”