Developments in the organic sector in Asia in 2020

Summary

Together with the rest of the world, Asia has suffered much due to the effects of COVID-19. As traditional markets were closed, and schools, offices and other establishments were shut down, every stakeholder across the supply chain was affected in one way or another. However, the resiliency of many countries in Asia was highlighted, as they searched for ways to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. In South Korea, the closure of schools meant the cessation of school meals, which was a significant source of income for many organic farmers. In response, a Countermeasures Committee for COVID-19 was established, providing thousands of food packages of environmentally-friendly farm products to more than 6’000 self-quarantined people.
There have been major policy developments related to the organic sector in some Asian countries. In Japan, there was a major development in the Basic Plan for Agriculture and Management, aiming to triple the number of organic farmers and organic lands by 2030. In Indonesia, The National Medium-Term Development Plan IV (2020-2024) will increase the policies related to organic agriculture, from the current percet of the total agriculture policy to 20 percent by 2024 under the ‘1000 organic villages’ program through the continuous collaboration of various government ministries. Finally, the Philippines had one of the most significant milestones in organic agriculture with the amendment of the Organic Act of 2010, including Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) under the country’s national organic standards.
The pandemic has highlighted the importance of healthy food, and consumers are changing their lifestyles towards healthy and responsible consumption. According to a study by Singapore-based startup Ai Palette, Indonesia and the Philippines saw a significant increase in the demand for fresh produce, with the latter registering a 444 percent year-on-year growth for fresh produce over frozen and canned varieties . In China, a commerce giant predicted a rise in healthy food options as a result of the pandemic. The organic sector became a hotspot for investment, and up to eight-nine certification bodies were established in China for 2020 alone.