The ASEAN Experts Group on Organic Agriculture (EWG -OA) was established by the ASEAN Agriculture and Forestry Ministers, as part of its initiatives to promote the development of Organic Agriculture in ASEAN.
The Workshop on the Development of an ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on Organic Agriculture Products held on 8-9 Sept 2021 is the fourth workshop that ARISE Plus experts have supported. EWG-OA members deliberated on the 3rd draft of the MRA-OAP, seeking to resolve the few remaining differences in the text of the MRA. The MRA has been drafted to provide ASEAN Member States with a platform that enables recognition of their national certification systems across Member States
It also includes the provisions for the use of a common ASEAN kite mark to identify organic agricultural products that are certified in compliance with the specified conditions. This aims at generating consumers’ confidence in ASEAN certified organic products.
An ASEAN Certification Scheme for Organic Agriculture has been drafted in parallel with the MRA. This scheme will support the harmonised implementation of the MRA-OAP by providing a credible and transparent basis for certification for Organic Agriculture, based on accepted international practices.
The workshop concluded with a small number of outstanding issues that EWG-OA members will consider and a follow-up event is planned with the expectation of finalising the MRA-OAP.
