Organic producers who want to move their products into Japan might be surprised at the lack of paperwork involved.
The four pages of Japanese Agricultural Standards pale in comparison to the piles of paper involved to meet Canadian or American standards, said Alex Moreno, manager of inspection and training services for the Organic Crop Improvement Association in Lincoln, Nebraska.
“Somehow you have to interpret what do they want or what do they need,” he said in an interview at a recent workshop in Regina.
The standards are succinct and the terminology is different. For example, the Japanese have a different interpretation of the word grader.
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“The Japanese want the name of the grader clearly defined for each lot,” Moreno said. “They think grading is done by the individual, the farmer.”
In Canada, farmers might say ‘I’m just the farmer’ but in Japan, customers believe they should trust farmers to produce what they say they are producing.
“They are the persons who are the guardians of the integrity of that food,” Moreno explained.
He said about 30 percent of OCIA members are obtaining JAS certification. Grain is in particularly high demand in Japan.
Jim Robbins, an organic farmer from Delisle, Sask., said he applied for certification this year because of a potential barley sale last year. Had he had the certification, the barley would have been used for tea. Robbins said having a JAS seal on a product is a good marketing strategy.
“Any rich country is a potential organic customer,” he said.
He found the JAS requirements less onerous than those needed for Bio Suisse.
Moreno warned that producers have to be careful about inputs and cultural differences.
“Always consult first. This is very important for Japan. We provide the service to (farmers) and it costs nothing.”
