Due to the greater awareness about health care and the environment, added to new consumption habits, the demand in this niche is greater.
By Maru Pol
25/04/2023 – 17,05hs
In order to face this new context, a project was presented in the Chamber of Deputies that has the strong support of all the parliamentary blocs and that contemplates a series of benefits for this sector, with the aim of diversifying the matrix and generate more favorable conditions for export and competitiveness in international markets.
It is an initiative of a group of deputies from the Frente de Todos, headed by Ramiro Fernández Patri, who advanced this week in commission and who will receive an opinion in the coming days to be able to be treated in the compound.
The project is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and proposes the creation of a Regime for the Promotion of the Production and Elaboration of Organic Productsduly certified and authorized.
The Frente de Todos proposes to create a regime for the promotion of organic products
“We believe that organic production represents a great opportunity for differentiation and the added value of the products of the regional economies. For this, it is necessary to turn this possibility of doing business into a reality that raises the level of investment of producers, industrialists and exporters, generates genuine jobs and higher foreign exchange earnings”, affirms Fernández Patri.
For the FDT deputy, “the promotion of organic products from regional economies is an important signal that Argentina gives to the world, indicating its support for environmental conservation and also, the vocation of stimulate a greater establishment of producers in rural areaswith a healthier, more sustainable agriculture that generates a type of food that is increasingly in demand by the national and world economy”.
Organic products come from an agricultural production system that is sustainable over time and that, through the rational use of natural resources, maintains biodiversity, avoiding the use of chemical synthesis products and others with a real or potential toxic effect on human health.
Organic Agriculture takes into account the medium and long-term effects of agricultural interventions on the agro-ecosystem. It is proposed to produce food while establishing an ecological balance to protect soil fertility and minimize pest damage.
Organic agriculture: what is it and what are its benefits?
- organic farming reduces energy use non-renewable by reducing the need for chemical synthesis substances, the production of which requires a large amount of fossil fuels.
- Contribute to mitigate the greenhouse effect and global warming through its ability to sequester carbon in the soil.
- Generate employment, since it uses intensive and qualified labor.
- By not using pesticides, promotes the arrival of new species (of a permanent or migratory type) or that previous ones return to colonize the area, species of flora and fauna (such as some birds) and beneficial organisms such as pollinators and natural predators.
Organic products, expanding worldwide
In the world, the progressive technification of agriculture led to the exploitation of natural resources to the limit of their possibilities in order to increase productivity, producing unwanted effects on the environment. This alerted on the need to not produce more alterations in the ecosystems, generating a return to the old ways of production.
The “boom” of organic products occurred after the pandemic and the greater awareness for health and the environment.
For this reason, organic production in the world continues to grow at an accelerated rate. Currently, It is estimated that there are around 31 million organically managed hectares in 138 countries of the world.
The market for organic products is also growing, not only in Europe and North America (which are the main markets), but also in Oceania and Latin America, which are the continents with the largest certified organic areas.
90% of organic products intended for domestic consumption are industrialized, the main ones are: wheat flour, whole wheat flour, balanced food, yerba mate, tomato puree, toast, cane sugar and wine. The total volume of certified production reaches 144,880 tons.
The main destination of organic products is export, with more than 98% of the total production of the sector. During the year 2021 the volume of exports of organic products exceeded 143,200 tons. The main destinations in that year were the United States (46%) and the European Union (38%).
What does the project propose to create a regime of organic products?
- A 60% reduction in the total amount of Income Tax determined in each fiscal year with respect to the productive and/or manufacturing activities covered by the law.
- The beneficiaries who have the quality of monotributistas before the AFIP may request a reduction of 50% of the tax rate on credits and debits in bank current account.
The project was presented by the FdT national deputy from Formosa, Ramiro Fernández Patri.
- The Organic Product Promotion Fund is created providing for the first year an amount of one hundred million ($100,000,000) to be applied to research and development projects, tertiary or higher level programs for the training of human resources.
- Technical and financial assistance programs for producers on a smaller scale, technical and financial assistance programs for the constitution of new enterprises and for the commercial promotion of organic products in the external and internal markets.
