MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2001

Imports hit Asia's organic farmers

By Cassie Biggs

HONG KONG (AFP) - Mad cow disease, bird flu, genetically modified food: with the list of food safety issues growing ever longer, Asian consumers are joining the global trend towards organic produce.

But it is American, European and Australian producers that are reaping the benefits.

High start-up costs, climatic difficulties and the shortage of reliable labelling schemes have conspired to leave Asia's own organic farmers struggling to grab a slice of the fast-growing market.

"People are more aware of health issues now," said Angus Lam of the Hong Kong Organic Farming Association (HOFA).

"They've seen the food disasters in Europe; mad cow, foot and mouth. They are concerned about GM foods and this has helped awaken their awareness about healthy food."

Last year the international market for organic food reached US$20 billion, with Japan eating up nearly three billion of that, according to the International Federation of Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), an umbrella group representing some 700 organic farming associations in 103 countries.

Taiwan gobbled up $50 million worth of organic food and Singapore $3.5 million, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), a business association representing the US organic industry.

Figures were unavailable for Hong Kong and Thailand, but the OTA has put them on its hot list of emerging organic markets where high start up costs and low yields for local farmers meant there was "little domestic competition".

Some supermarkets in Thailand say demand for organics -- food farmed naturally, without chemical fertilisers or pesticides -- jumped 60 per cent last year, while in Hong Kong, local supermarket chain ParknShop said demand was "encouraging".

But while supermarkets that stock their shelves with organic vegetables from around the world are providing customers with more choice, the issue of imports has split the industry.

"The basic foundation of organic farming is respect for the environment," says HOFA's Lam.

"The extra use of petrol and energy for transport, to keep things dry and cold in a refrigerated truck, goes against this.

"Also you see extra packaging on imports, including non biodegradable foam containers. This is a very controversial subject."

Others claim that imports from government subsidised, more established farms will strangle the local industry at birth.

 

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