The total number of producers in Asian countries certified by EurepGAP has more than doubled over the last 12-month period.
And fittingly, EurepGAP has organised its annual conference in Bangkok, Thailand, on September 6-7, where speakers from at least 13 countries will share their views and experiences in setting up farm assurance certification in Asia.
Kristian Moeller, EurepGAP secretary, said that while the Asia/Pacific region still accounts for just five per cent of worldwide EurepGAP certificates, “Asia is rapidly catching up, especially due to the number of initiatives to build national schemes for good agricultural practice (GAP), such as ThaiGAP, MalaysiaGAP, ChinaGAP and JGAP (Japan), which will be benchmarked to the EurepGAP global standard”.
The plenary day of the eighth EurepGAP conference, on September 7, will be opened by Thai deputy prime minister Kosit Punpienmrat. Delegates will learn how small-scale farmers are arranging to obtain certification, as well as hear the requirements of international and local retailers.
The major theme of the event is how to “Think Global but Act Local”. Regional industry leaders and public officials will tell delegates how they could benefit from a globally harmonised GAP standard through the establishment of EurepGAP multi-stakeholder national technical work groups.
“Timing and location are perfect for this year’s event, in a region where the public and private sectors are working together to plan and implement good agricultural practices for both export and local markets,” said Nigel Garbutt, chairman of EurepGAP.
