Indian Organic Market Development Project(IOMDP)
3. Objectives of the project and proposed activities
The overall objective of the project is to enhance the market opportunities for Indian organic and fair trade products on international, regional and local markets. For this, relevant expertise in market development and marketing is to be developed in India to ensure the long term effect of the project. This will be done in co-operation with the International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA), founded and supported by the main stakeholders of organic agriculture in India. The project has four goals (status to be achieved):
- Awareness creation: The Indian public is well aware of the benefits of organic agriculture and motivated to buy organic products. International traders know about and trust in Indian organic products. The Indian Organic Guarantee System is recognized on the domestic and international level.
- Market research and market information: Up-to-date information, relevant for successful international and domestic market development, is generated and made readily available to the stakeholders of the organic agriculture sector. Our Indian partners are able to further develop the organic market on their own.
- Development and documentation of market chains by means of pilot projects: Producers, processors and traders in organic products are enabled to meet international and domestic market demands in terms of type, quality and availability of produces through appropriate market chains. From here, SIPPO will overtake and bring the producers to the EU- and Swiss-markets.
Activities
- Awareness creation
- Raise the awareness of consumers on the benefits of organic products based on a jointly developed communication strategy. This includes the identification of target groups and key messages. Elaborate publication / promotion material based on the strategy (brochures, web material).
- Conduct media campaigns including various events such as trade fairs, seminars, exhibitions, and disseminate press releases covering these events.
- Improve the functioning and enhance the recognition of the Indian Organic Guarantee System on the domestic and international level.
- Market research and market information
- Develop a trade directory to facilitate the information exchange between producers, traders, and sellers.
- Improve market intelligence by conducting relevant market research, and elaborate and disseminate up-to-date information on commodity markets with the help of a suitable electronic platform.
- Support ICCOA and other Indian partners through capacity building to acquire the know-how on how to ensure a professional and sustainable development of the organic market at the long run.
- Development and documentation of market chains by means of pilot projects
- Coaching and support of selected pilot projects in the fields of organisational development, processing, quality management, trade, marketing, and public relations.
- Capacity building of the stakeholders of the Indian organic market through extensive training courses and seminars.
- Development of concepts and manuals – partly based on the lessons learnt from the pilot projects – and sharing them with the stakeholders through workshops and publications.
- Input approval
- Harmonization of input approval, including GMO issues, at national level: organize workshops to develop a common strategy among certification agencies, provide information on available inputs, and build up expertise in input approval.
