Taking into consideration the stagnant rate at which the organic food sector is growing, the Organic Trade Association in the US has proposed the idea of a check-off system to monitor organic produce. Experts who support this system feel that it can help organic farmers raise funds up to $30 million every year. These funds can be utilized by farmers to research on organic products, to advertise their produce, and to educate people on organic farming as well. This program has been suggested keeping in mind other policies that have already been approved by the Department of Agriculture in the US.
The problems faced by the organic industry
At present, the organic food sector collects an approximate total of $30 billion a year in the US and witnesses a stable 10 percent growth every year. However, according to a recent survey, organic food products are at par with traditional food products in terms of nutrition. This study caused a lot of chaos in the food sector wherein people started questioning the importance of organic food industry.
Even though the organic sector is growing at a steady rate of 10 percent per annually, it faces a lot of problems in terms of funds, and this new research has raised more questions on whether or not the organic industry should receive funds from the government. Since the organic sector accounts for only a mere 4 percent of the entire retail food revenue, it is neglected on a large scale. According to the 2012 Farm Bill, organic farmers were supposed to receive funds in order to research on the variety of organic products that can be produced. However, this bill was stagnated by the Congress government, and the farmers received no monetary incentives to try and expand their produce. And unfortunately, according to experts, the likelihood of this bill being passed by any other government is also very bleak.
The need to promote organic sector and eco friendly promotional items
Looking at the financial problems that surround the organic food market, farmers are contemplating on this check-off program, as in their view, eco friendly promotional items and organic lifestyles need to be promoted. According to them, studies which suggest that organic food is not any more nutritious than traditional food, fail to take into consideration the factor of sustainability. Such research fails to see how organic farming is a more sustainable and eco-friendly option, when compared to traditional methods of farming. So according to them, organic produce should be promoted in a better way so that it ultimately benefits the whole society.
Source:http://supermarketnews.com/blog/organic-industry-needs-check-program
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