Commerce Ministry suggests organic growers target German market

 

BANGKOK, 3 January 2018 (NNT) – The Ministry of Commerce is pointing Thai organic farm goods producers towards Germany, recommending they focus on food, herbs, clothing and bags for health conscious consumers. 

Director-General of the Department of International Trade Promotion Chantira Yimrewat Wiwatrat pointed out organic farm goods have grown in popularity within the German market, especially among the health conscious and vegetarians, creating niche markets with high growth potential. She noted most European markets are now more environmentally aware and want to purchase products that are socially fair and sustainable. 

The two kinds of organic goods likely to fare well in Europe according to the Ministry of Commerce are food products, such as rice, soy, shrimp, vegetables, coffee and juices and non-food products such as herbs, clothing and bags. The ministry is suggesting producers diversify their offerings and add value to their products by processing them for more specific uses.

 

-- nnt 2018-01-03

 

Forget it! In Germany these products will be tested and then the sham will be exposed ...
Our neighbour produces "organic" bananas and we can observe how much chemicals is sprayed around there week by week.

"European markets are now more environmentally aware and want to purchase products that are socially fair and sustainable. "

 

I personally didn't know of any Thai products fitting these requirements. 

Where will the Khun Wiwatrat start looking for them?

Edited January 3, 20188 yr by hanuman2543

1 hour ago, rebo said:

Forget it! In Germany these products will be tested and then the sham will be exposed ...
Our neighbour produces "organic" bananas and we can observe how much chemicals is sprayed around there week by week.

For organic crops it's still allowed to spray a lot of stuff....and as long as you don't know what he's spraying you better not defame him.

 

But the Germans will test the products anyway and find out if it's a healthy product or not.

 

 

6 hours ago, Thian said:

For organic crops it's still allowed to spray a lot of stuff....and as long as you don't know what he's spraying you better not defame him.

 

But the Germans will test the products anyway and find out if it's a healthy product or not.

 

 

 

Defame?  Whom exactly, 'the neighbor'??

Have you been 44ed?

Forget it! In Germany these products will be tested and then the sham will be exposed ...
Our neighbour produces "organic" bananas and we can observe how much chemicals is sprayed around there week by week.

Are you somehow under the impression that “organic” farming uses no pesticides or fertilizer?

13 hours ago, attrayant said:

 

 

Are you somehow under the impression that “organic” farming uses no pesticides or fertilizer?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming

No further comment ...

1 hour ago, rebo said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming

No further comment ...

 

That doesn't really clarify your position, but the next time I need somebody to find a Wikipedia page for me I'll know just who to ask.

1 hour ago, rebo said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming

No further comment ...

Quoting wikipedia as a source for "facts" is like quoting the NYT or CNN for unbiased news!

 

Quote

 

Organic agricultural methods are internationally regulated and legally enforced by many nations, based in large part on the standards set by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), an international umbrella organization for organic farming organizations established in 1972.^[7] Organic agriculture can be defined as:

an integrated farming system that strives for sustainability, the enhancement of soil fertility and biological diversity whilst, with rare exceptions, prohibiting synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, and growth hormones.^{[8][9][10][11]}

 

From what I can gather, there seem to be relatively few food producers in Thailand who can claim to be fully complying with the above standards.

 

And of those who claim to be complying, probably even fewer who actually are, if put to the test via independent lab sampling of their products.

 

There is a Thai industry/government logo/mark for organic, but AFAIK, in practice, it means virtually nothing, and typically isn't overseen by any outside, independent entity for verification.

 

 

 

The EU in general, and Germany in particular, seems to be rife with people who have bought into the organic food scam.  I'm not sure if we can blame that Thais who are just looking to take advantage of that.  If some sucker is willing to pay you $100 for what he believes are magic beans, wouldn't you take his money?  

There's nothing wrong with reasonable, educated people wanting to eat healthy foods that aren't doused in synthetic chemicals, hormones, growth additives, etc etc. And being willing to pay a reasonably higher price for a food product that may not be mass produced like all the non-organic stuff is.

 

But, I agree, there's a lot of fakery that goes on with products that are marketed as organic, and sold at higher prices, when in fact that may not be as claimed or advertised. That's due to a lack of consistent standards that are effectively enforced internationally. But it doesn't mean there isn't a good case to be made for truly organic foods.

 

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

There's nothing wrong with reasonable, educated people wanting to eat healthy foods that aren't doused in synthetic chemicals, hormones, growth additives, etc etc.

 

This is the part I take issue with.  Just because a chemical is synthetic does not mean it's somehow safer.  The Organic Consumer's Association has done a good job of scaring people into believing that natural = safe or harmless, and that synthetic = dangerous or toxic.  One of the main drivers for the invention of synthetic pesticides is that farmers wanted less toxic inputs in their farming.  Farmers care about their soil.  It's literally their livelihood. Just look up "legacy pesticides" if you want to know what farming was like before synthetic inputs came along.  And farming (organic included) wouldn't be anywhere near where it is today without the century-old discovery of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

 

I also object to emotive words like "doused".  Farmers don't enjoy dumping truckloads of chemicals on their soil.  Farming inputs are expensive.  I doubt any farmer has ever said "That's it!  I'm switching back to conventional farming so I can spray more pesticides".

 

As I said, too many consumers have bought into this false "health halo" that seems to come with the organic label.  To borrow the words of Dan Glickman, who was the US Secretary of Agriculture at the time the USDA Organic Label was created:

 

"Let me be clear about one thing, the organic label is a marketing tool. It is not a statement about food safety. Nor is ‘organic’ a value judgment about nutrition or quality."

 

(Emphasis added)

45 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

But it doesn't mean there isn't a good case to be made for truly organic foods.

 

Then they should get rid of the organic label all together, because people don't know what it means.  Do a survey and 90% will say they think it means no pesticides have been used. 

 

Instead, use labels that state objective truths, like "no pesticides [synthetic or natural] used" and hold the farmers to that.  Ban meaningless marketing terms like "all natural" or "no added hormones".  And the word "chemical" would absolutely not be allowed since everything, even the food itself, is a chemical.  Let's do that and see if people are willing to buy a $6 apple.