A regional certifying scheme that trademarks quality organic agriculture products is being introduced to local farmers in Palau and other Pacific island nations.
In an interview, Building Prosperity for Women Producers, Processors and Women-Owned Businesses (BPWP) Project Manager Neema Nand said that local farmers in Palau have shown interests in the certifying scheme for organic agricultural products that is being carried out by the Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community (POETCom).
Nand said that although there is not yet a single product in Palau that has been certified by POETCom, they are already conducting trainings with the local farmers to inform them about the program.
To get the organic stamp on a product, some trainings and processes are needed to be undergone by farmers before they could get their products certified to ensure international and Pacific standards are met.
POETCOM trademark, according to Nand, has been developed based on international and Pacific standards and is meant to help farmers in the region get their products certified.
“If a farmer is producing organic agriculture products, after undergoing all the processes, they can now put stamp on it,” Nand explained.
Nand said that more meetings on the project are expected to be conducted in the future, adding that they are collaborating with the Bureau of Agriculture and the Palau Organic Growers Association (POGA). (Rhealyn C. Pojas)