Developments in the organic sector in Asia in 2019

Summary

The area of organic agricultural land in Asia is about 6.5 million hectares or 0.4 percent of the total agricultural sector of the region. There is a growing interest in organic production in Asia. Contrary to industrialised farming practices, organic farming is an alternative agricultural system that strives for sustainability, the enhancement of soil fertility, and biological diversity. The importance of organic food and traceability is increasing, and it concerns everyone how to include organic agriculture in mainstream agriculture while addressing productivity and food security issues using smart and digital farming technologies. Smart agriculture can provide significant benefits in terms of overall sustainability and environmental issues, for example, through more efficient use of water or optimisation of agricultural operations and input use, as well as enhanced transparency in farming. Assuring consumers of the genuineness and safety of organic products is critical for thriving commercial organic agriculture and agribusiness, particularly in the context of Asian consumers. Asian farmers are becoming more concerned about the origin and trustworthiness of organic products. They like to know how the products are grown and how quality is maintained throughout the supply chain. Trusted food traceability systems are needed to track and monitor food products along the entire value chain, including the integrity of farm inputs, food production at the farm level, and harvest and postharvest handling such as processing, transporting, warehousing, marketing, etc. Blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, which involve all parties in a smart agriculture ecosystem, can help in the development of a trusted, self-organised, open, ecological food traceability system. The adoption of digital technology in organic farming is not only making the organic sector a more profitable enterprise but will also encourage youth to practice agriculture. Further, these new technologies will address the issues of ageing and agricultural successors in countries like Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Some countries, such as Vietnam, took initiative by incentivising entrepreneurs to import digital equipment in order to promote smart digital organic agriculture. Significant achievements were observed in some Asian countries in 2019, such as the launch of the third version of the national organic standard in China. Similarly, the National Organic Agriculture Board of the Philippines approved the resolution for the inclusion of Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) in the national organic standards after consultation with various stakeholders. In South Korea, a pilot program started to provide environment-friendly rice to military bases, and the central government approved the budget to provide a box scheme of environmentally-friendly food to pregnant women.
The demand for organic food in Asia continues to grow fast, and it is uncertain whether the supply of local organic produce can keep up with the ever-increasing demand.