The development of Ukraine’s organic sector took a positive step
forward yesterday when the Committee on Agrarian Policy recommend the Verkhovna
Rada (Parliament) support the draft bill on organic farming at the first reading.
It’s not clear, to me at least, if this means adopting the
draft bill is now a formality or it could still be held up or rejected by the Verkhovna
Rada, though for what purpose would be a mystery.
After the meeting the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Olga
Trofimtseva, said “so far, a small victory, but in case the Parliament [it] will
be a big step for the development of the Ukrainian organic sector".
These developments, small as they may be, are significant in the development and future of the country but often get overlooked against the background of negative news about Ukraine.
Well done to all concerned, time to open a bottle of sparkling organic elder flower wine.
The development of the organic market is a priority for the
Government and the agricultural sector development strategy known as "3 +
5". The primary step is to improve the
regulatory framework of organic production, handling and labelling to bring it in
line with EU legislation.