By Vanne Elaine Terrazola

The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food has endorsed the approval of the bill seeking cheaper certification cost for organic products.

Senator Cynthia Villar, committee chairman, on Wednesday sponsored Senate Bill No. 2203, under Committee Report No. 625, which would amend the Republic Act 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010.

The bill proposes the establishment of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) as an alternative to third-party certification for organic produce.

Under the present Organic Agriculture Act, small farmers are required to have their organic farms certified by a third-party certifier to facilitate labeling and marketing of products to markets and assure quality.

But Villar said that the cost of the organic certification ranges from P42,000 to P150,000 per crop. Farmers, she said, find the amount “exorbitant” since the certification is only valid for one year.

“The high cost of certification creates a very big barrier for small farmers to overcome preventing them to participate, which ultimately hurts the growth and development of the organic movement,” Villar, author of the bill, said in her sponsorship speech.

Under SB 2203, PGS refers to locally-focused quality assurance systems developed and practiced by people who are actually engaged in organic agriculture.

It is used to certify producers and farmers as actual and active practitioners of organic agriculture, and is built on a foundation of trust, social network and knowledge exchange.

Villar said the PGS will only cost farmers P600 to P2,000.

In pushing the approval of the bill, the senator said the proposed system will “help small organic farmers attain the organic certification they badly need to compete in local and global markets.”

It will also boost organic farming in the country and later encourage Filipinos to choose healthy and safe organic products.

“Organic farming can be profitable and organic food appeals to consumers as both a healthy and ethical choice. Beyond money and ethics, though, organic farming practices result in numerous environmental benefits,” Villar said.

Aside from the PGS, SB 2203 also engages private sectors to participate in the National Organic Agricultural Board (NOAB).

In addition to the existing 14 members of NOAB, two representatives will be chosen from the national PGS, making NOAB a 16-member body.

The present composition of NOAB is as follows: a) Secretary of Agriculture as chairperson; b) Secretary of the Interior and Local Government as vice chair; c) Secretary of Science and Technology; d) Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources; e) Secretary of Education; f) Secretary of Agrarian Reform; g) Secretary of Trade and Industry; h) Secretary of Health; i) Three representatives from the small farmers; and j) A representative each from the NGOs involved in sustainable agriculture; agricultural colleges and universities; and private sector or agribusiness firms.