CNA debates international certifications for exporting agricultural products

Until this Wednesday (12/04), the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA) is holding a seminar on two international certifications for the export of agricultural producers: Global GAP and Fairtrade. The event started on Tuesday (11/04), virtually.

At the opening, CNA's International Relations advisor, Rita Padilla, explained that the training is part of the Agro.BR Program, developed by the Confederation in partnership with Apex-Brasil for the internationalization of small and medium-sized Brazilian agribusiness producers.

Agro.BR has state regional offices specialized in foreign trade in Bahia, Ceará, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo. The training was carried out with the support of consultant Nathália Alves dos Santos, who serves the entire Central-West region of the country.

On the first day, the agribusiness project manager, Denise Faria, explained the concept, importance, market requirements, evaluated criteria and pricing of the Global GAP certification, considering the reference in Good Agricultural Practices (BPA) systems. According to the expert, Global GAP is a standard that covers all production.

“I am an enthusiast of certifications because they are based on impartial, independent criteria and with clear objectives. A certification process makes the company grow and develop in several areas”, he highlights. Among the criteria to achieve certification, it is necessary that the product meets standards of good agricultural practices, social criteria, environmental legislation and has financial indicators.

Denise explains that, for agribusiness products, certifications have their particularities. “The criteria range from the field to the consumer. This entire path is evaluated, and it is very important to have product traceability. Therefore, we are not talking about a short-term process, but rather a medium and long term one. In the current harvest, the producer must track what has been done and plan the next harvest within the criteria,” she explains.

She also highlighted that the benefits of having certification are economic, with increased revenue, for commercialization by ensuring safety, in addition to assisting in the management and productivity processes of rural enterprises and increasing the use of technologies. “In agriculture, few rural producers have this certification. This means an additional point in competitiveness and entry into new international markets”, said the expert.

For Denise Faria, the opportunities for rural producers and their properties range from optimizing processes, improving productivity, engagement, recognition, to competitive advantage. Among the challenges, she cited culture, legislation, criteria, financial resources and human resources.

Rita Padilla highlighted the importance of the debate on certifications. “This is a subject that interests every businessman who is thinking about exporting. At the end of this training, we hope that participants will have a greater understanding of the criteria for entering other markets, which are increasingly competitive globally,” she said.

This Wednesday (12/04), the seminar will address Fairtrade certification, which is based on a commercial relationship that seeks equity by connecting producers to consumers. Training will also be given by the agribusiness project manager, Denise Faria.