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Asia
 

10/07/10

Pakistan: Maggie's Organics Adopts New Ethical Standard

07/07/10

India: Organic Farmland Exceeds 1m Hectares

17/06/10

India: Survey Shows Farmers Earn More from Organic Cotton

 

 

10/07/10

Pakistan: Maggie's Organics Adopts New Ethical Standard

Maggie's Organics, the nation's oldest producer of organic clothing, has become the first manufacturer in the world to sell clothing that is independently certified to a new standard for Fair Labor Practices and Community Benefits, according to the company's press release.

Maggie's Fair Labor-Certified apparel includes Knit Dresses, Camisoles, Tanks, Wraps, Hoodies, and Pants for women, and Scarves and T-Shirts for women and men. Retail prices on Maggie's new apparel line range from $12 to $35. This proves that ethically based apparel made with certified organic fibers can be affordable. Maggie's sweatshop-free clothes come in sizes ranging from small to XX-large, to fit a wide variety of body shapes.

Consumers have responded enthusiastically, says Maggie's CEO Bena Burda. "People love the idea of a quality product that feels good when you put it on, made in a way that respects the environment and also respects and sustains workers."

Until now, third-party certification of fair trade and / or fair-labor practices has been available for commodity products such as coffee, tea, and bananas. Maggie's Organics states it is the first apparel company in the world to receive this third-party certification.

The certification was issued by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), which inspects every stage of Maggie's production chain. The stages include farming the organic cotton, ginning and spinning the crop into fabric in Nicaragua, cutting and sewing garments in Costa Rica, screen printing, office and warehouse operations in Michigan.

"We've always taken pride in how we treat our planet and how we treat the people we work with, so this kind of certification means a lot to us," says Burda. "Based on the feedback we're getting, it means a lot to our customers as well."

   

Source: Right Vision News
 

 

07/07/10

India: Organic Farmland Exceeds 1m Hectares

Area under organic farming in India has risen to 1.05 million hectares in the last six years, according to the Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

"In India, as against 42,000 hectares under certified organic farming during 2003-04, initial estimates for 2009-10 indicate that organic agriculture under certification has grown to 10.5 lakh hectares", Pawar said in an address to Parliamentary Consultative Committee.

Out of the 10.5 lakh hectares, nearly 7.5 lakh hectares is fully certified while remaining three lakh hectares are under various stages of conversion, he said.

He added that Indian organic agriculture had reached a stage where it could play a significant role not only in the growing domestic market but also in global organic food trade.

The minister informed that the Agriculture Ministry is promoting organic farming in the country through various schemes such as National Project on Organic Farming, 'National Horticulture Mission and technology mission for North East and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

Organic Monitor Comment
With India now having the second largest amount of organic farmland in Asia, the country is in a prime position to become a global producer and exporter of organic crops. India is already well-established as a important source of organic cotton, herbs and spices. The Indian government believes it can achieve exports of US $1 billion from organic products by 2015. Whilst this target may seem ambitious, the government is applauded for encouraging organic agriculture for its environmental benefits.

Related Report: #7002-40 The Global Market for Organic Food & Drink

Source: ANI / Organic Monitor
 

 

17/06/10

India: Survey Shows Farmers Earn More from Organic Cotton

Greenpeace, the non-governmental organisation, has claimed that farmers get more income if they cultivate organic cotton instead of Bt cotton.

The NGO, which conducted a survey in three top cotton growing districts of Warangal, Karimnagar and Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh, said that the net income of organic cotton farmers is Rs 6,000 an acre, while Bt cotton farmers earned only Rs 2,000.

"This is due to the higher cost of pesticides. Though the incomes are almost at the same levels of Rs 11,000, organic farmers register more net income because they spent less on pesticides. Their cost of production was only Rs 4,600, while Bt cotton farmers spent Rs 9,000, giving them lesser net incomes," Ms Reyes Tirado, who works for Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter in the UK, said.

She was here to release the report "Picking Cotton - The choice between organic and genetically-engineered cotton for farmers in South India".

She said there was not much difference in yields, "the small yield increase in Bt and chemically-intensive cotton farms does not translate into income benefit for the farmers due to high cultivation costs."

Greenpeace activists conducted the survey in three districts by talking to 27 farmers with small holdings - 15 Bt cotton farmers and the rest organic farmers. "In the dry year of 2009-10, the economic livelihood (net return after repaying debts) for Bt cotton farmers is negative. On the average, they end up owing Rs 7,136 an acre. The higher costs of cultivation make them very vulnerable to financial insecurity and failure," she said.

She alleged that the availability of non-Bt seed was almost absent, denying choice to the farmers. While demanding a ban on Bt cotton cultivation, the NGO asked the Government to support organic cotton and ecological farming.

   

Source: Press Release
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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