The Hindu Business Line : `India can export organic food products to EU'

Mumbai March 9 Organic farm produce enjoys a good demand in European Union (EU) market and India has an opportunity to export its organic produce to this market, said Ms Mariann Fischer Boel, European Union Agriculture Commissioner, at a public lecture in Mumbai on Friday.

Delivering her lecture on `Globalisation' at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Contemporary Studies, Mumbai University, Ms Boel said that in the dairy food sector, the demand for organic food has grown to 15 per cent and continues to grow at a rapid pace.

The demand for organic food in the EU has now penetrated even to the rural areas. Earlier, it was only limited to urban areas. In these times of rapid demand, India can leverage its organic products, she said.

Ms Boel pointed out that the demand for organic products has risen because the EU consumer has become more health conscious and greater environmental awareness.

Ms Boel said that the EU's commitment to the Doha round remains at 100 per cent. A good multilateral settlement is the bedrock of the international trading system, she said.

Export competition

Without that bedrock, the gains of globalisation cannot be reliably spread to the poorer countries of the world, she said.

Ms Boel said that with regard to the export competition, EU has been ahead of all others.

The EU has offered to abolish its export refunds completely. In respect of market access EU has signalled its readiness to make deep cuts, halving the average agriculture import tariff from 23 per cent to 12 per cent, she said.

She pointed out that although the EU agriculture offer was attractive and promised generous new opportunities within the EU traditional market, the promises have clear strings attached.

The EU farmers will not be offered up as a sacrifice to get the right overall result in the Doha round.