The Bhutan Organic Standard (BOS) version 02: 2022 is a document officially enlisted under the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) Family of Standards to strengthen the overall organic regulation and certification system in Bhutan. The main objectives of Bhutan Organic Standard are to ensure a healthy population in a healthy environment in compliance with the four principles of organic agriculture and providing a basis for labelling of organic products with a clear landscape for organic production in Bhutan.
Despite the presence of small pockets of organic famers across the length and breadth of the country, this training was specifically designed for those organic farming groups/operators, who were labelled โNon-Conformityโ (NC) by the third-party Certifying Body (CB) i.e., the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA). Thus, the training was mainly focused on broadening the understanding of these organic farmers about the BOS 02:2022. Nonetheless, this training also included a few numbers of interested organic farmers, who were not labelled as the NC. A team of three members from National Centre for Organic Agriculture (NCOA), as a resource person had conducted the training on the BOS 02:2022.
The training officially commenced on April 4, 2024 at Bhutan Herbal Tea (Chhokhor Gewog, Bumthang) and successfully concluded on April 13, 2024 at Thakorling Rangzhin Sonam Detshen (Patsheling Gewog, Tsirang). A total of 154 organic farmers/operators of six organic groups from five Dzongkhags of eastern and southern Bhutan; namely Bumthang, Trashigang, Samdrup Jongkhar, Sarpang, and Tsirang, have been covered on BOS 02:2022 Training Phase-1. The operation of this training was possible with the fund received through the supplementary budget from the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB).
ย The training agenda were as follows:
1) Principles of Organic Agriculture, Bhutan Organic Standard (BOS), Scope of BOS, The Objectives of BOS, Organic Agriculture (OA) and Ecosystem Management which includes soil and water conservation, Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) and Nanotechnology, and Wild collection, Appendix 2 and 3 (Soil and Plant protection organic inputs).
2) General requirements for organic production, Crop production which includes seeds and planting materials, Conversion Period for crop production, Diversity in crop production, Soil Fertility and Fertilization, and Pest Management and Growth Regulators.
3) General Principles and Standard Requirements of Processing, Labelling, and Storage which includes Ingredients and Additives in Processing, Processing methods, Pest and Disease Control, Packaging, Labelling, and Social Welfare.
The organic farmers/operators of these Organic Groups are now aware of BOS 02:2022 in a nut shell and have understood the organic principles and standard requirements of Organic Agriculture (OA) at primary producerโs level. Through this training, organic farmers have also been sensitized that OA isnโt mere exclusion of chemical fertilizers, weedicides, and insecticides and that OA is a holistic approach to production system where the health of the environment should be considered in order to maintain a healthy population thriving on the environment.
The NCOA-Yusipang anticipates that by carrying out this training programme, the non-confirmatory (NC) issued by the BFDA to organic farmers/operators for not attaining the training on the BOS 02:2022 will be soon lifted.
Contributed By:
Kinzang Dorji
Agriculture Officer, PRCP
308 total views, 13 views today
