Head of Dutch Organic International Poppe Braam said Sri Lanka has lot of potential to getting in to organic product exports in a big way because demand for organic products in the entire EU region is growing exceptionally.
"In 2014 the demand organic products for consumable items touched 7.4 percent and the growth of organic production and increase of farm lands increased by one percent,” Braam told at a seminar organized by Ma's Tropical Food Processing for their 30th anniversary.The seminar was themed: Opportunities for sustainable Sri Lankan food business in the growing global organic and fair trade sectors.
 Martin Boon of Fair-Trade Original (Netherlands) |
Braam said the entire European region is now going for organic products for the consumption and the demand for organic products is increasing very rapidly. Therefore, Sri Lanka could enter into the organic product export market in a more efficient and effective manner, he said.
He said that his company has two top brands namely “La Bio Idea and Amazin” exclusively exported organic products for other European union countries in the region. But the main issues are to that their supply is not ample to meet the demand and seven top brands in the region dominating the market, he said.
He said that if the Sri Lanka could export high quality organic products like coconut pineapple to the European Union countries in the region because those products are not available and not grown in the region to Sri Lankan standards, Braam said.
“Now the new trend is that most of organic products are freely available in supermarkets and also reaching the mass markets in a considerable manner,”he said.
He said that Sri Lankan farmers should be accustomed to get involved in organic farming business soon because the demand for such products are growing exponentially not only in the EU region but also other regions due to the health factor, he said.
It is important to tap the Japanese market because Sri Lanka could supply them with better quality standards," he said.
At present Sri Lanka, Thailand and India are the main organic products suppliers for Japan but due to the high demand for organic products it has a big demand from Japan still," he said.
Ma's Tropical Food Managing Director Mario de Alwis said Sri Lanka is now slowly but steadily getting used to organic products because the government is promoting sustainable food habits.
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