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Asia
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10/07/10 |
Pakistan:
Maggie's Organics Adopts New Ethical Standard
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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
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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.
Source: ANI / Organic
Monitor
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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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