German Development Cooperation and Good Market to promote local organic producers at ProFood ProPack

Thursday, 2 August 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Together with the Good Market initiative, the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) brings back the Go Organic! pavilion to this year’s Profood Propack exhibition, which will be held from 3-5 August at the BMICH.

This year’s pavilion will feature innovative local organic producers, live cookery demonstrations by renowned chefs and in-depth discussions with policymakers and international certification bodies, providing both industry experts and consumers a worthwhile experience.

The GIZ Sri Lanka’s SME Sector Development Programme, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), creates access to local and international markets for Sri Lankan SMEs. In particular, it promotes the utilisation of organic value chains, fosters industry match-making as well as brand-building. The Good Market initiative is a curated community of social enterprises and responsible businesses in Sri Lanka. The organisers believe that it is crucial that not only agro-production but organic production and processing in particular receive adequate attention in Sri Lanka. Organic food producers in Sri Lanka have shown growing potential to meet the increasing consumer demand for sustainable and healthy food in the country.

Moreover, the organic sector can potentially play a crucial role in driving change in agri-food systems in Sri Lanka, given not just the deep cultural and economic heritage of the country but also the rapidly growing demand internationally. This sector is particularly important because it makes a significant contribution to preserving soil fertility and improving the resilience of agricultural ecosystems, which are essential for food security. Organic agriculture can also help fulfil Sri Lanka’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as good health and wellbeing (SDG 3), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) and climate action (SDG 13).

The organisers believe that a fair share of public money should be allocated to its development at all stages of the chain. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is already working through GIZ Sri Lanka to support Sri Lankan policymakers, industry representatives as well as the grassroots communities of organic producers to make this change happen.