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Organic PGS

The Good Market Organic Participatory Guarantee System was started in February 2013 by producers and consumers that want to make organic more accessible and affordable in Sri Lanka. It is based on the IFOAM Norms for Organic Production and Processing. Learn more. The PGS has been incubated under the Lanka Good Market (Gte) Ltd, but it has a separate bank account and committee.

The Good Market Organic PGS is recognized by IFOAM Organics International. Learn more. The IFOAM PGS logo is included on organic PGS certificates but cannot be used on products. The Good Market PGS logo can be used on promotional materials and products.

Process for Independent Farms

1. Learn

Review the process, the costs, the standards, and the recordkeeping requirements. Complete the self-assessment form to see if you’re ready for PGS verification. You can contact pgs@goodmarket.lk or +94 773 772 122 with any questions.

Crop cultivation standards

Crop cultivation self-assessment form

Animal husbandry standards

Animal husbandry self-assessment form

Record keeping

The same form is used for self-assessments, producer group internal monitoring, and farm evaluation visits. Each question has points ranging from 0 to 5. If 0 points are scored for any question, the farm is not eligible for PGS verification. At the end of the form, the total number of points can be used to calculate the level. A farm that just meets minimum requirements may be one star. A farm that is focused on regenerative agroecological practices may be five stars.

2. Apply

If you are ready for PGS verification, submit the free online application form and become Good Market Approved. The form is available in many languages including Sinhala and Tamil. At the end of the form, tick the box to indicate that you are interested in Participatory Guarantee System Sri Lanka. Good Market Approved enterprises have a public profile page, are able to use the Good Market certificate and logo, and can add offers and opportunities to the online marketplace.

3. Producer Promise

Once you are Good Market Approved, the PGS Secretariat will change your status to “In Progress” so you can submit a producer promise and an official self assessment form from your Good Market account page. The producer promise must be signed by the farm owner or resident farm manager.

4. Farm Visit

Once your forms are submitted, the PGS Secretariat will organize a farm visit. (See visit costs below.) The farm visit team will include 2-3 people and at least 1 qualified technical leader. The team will visit the farm, review farm records, and complete an evaluation form. If the farm is not eligible, you can make the recommended corrections and request another visit when all the standards are met.

5. Certificate

If the farm is approved, pay the certification fee by cash, check, or bank deposit. (See certification costs below.) The certificate is valid for 1 year.

Producer Groups

If you have a cluster of at least 3 producers in the same area, you can apply as a producer group. Group members must be geographically close enough to monitor and support each other and ensure that the full group is meeting the standards. If one farm in a group is not eligible for PGS, the entire group is not eligible.

Here are some additional points to note for producer groups:

Learn: Before applying for verification, the group should visit each member’s farm and complete a self-assessment form as part of their internal monitoring process. In addition to maintaining individual farm records, group records are also required.

Apply: The application should be submitted under the name of the producer group. All members can be linked to the account.

Producer Promise: A producer promise and self-assessment form needs to be added for each group member. Group members need to sign their own producer promise. They can log in and submit directly or they can get support from a group coordinator.

Farm Visit: The farm visit team will review group records, randomly select at least 25% of the farms in the group (minimum 5), visit the selected farms, review farm records, and complete an evaluation form for each farm visited.

Certificate: If the producer group is approved, the certification fees must be paid for all producer group members before certificates are issued.

Costs

The Good Market Organic Participatory Guarantee System is a volunteer-driven initiative that operates on a not-for-profit self-financing basis. Producers and consumers have volunteered their time and contributed resources for documentation, travel, refreshments, meeting venues, accommodation, etc.

Visit Costs

Visit costs apply to every farm visit regardless of whether the producer or producer group is approved.

Transport to farms (e.g. own vehicle, vehicle hire, pre-booked train or bus service, fuel cost for volunteer vehicle)

Food and refreshments (e.g. tea, lunch)

Accommodation for overnight trips (e.g. homestay, guest house)

Visit fee (Rs. 5,000 per day for long distance visits, Rs. 2,500 for half day visits within 100 km of Colombo)

Certification Fees

The certification fee is only paid if a producer or producer group is approved. It must be paid before a certificate is issued.

Independent Producer: Rs. 5,000

Producer Group: Rs. 600 per member with less than 1 acre

Producer Group: Rs. 1,200 per member with more than 1 acre

Urban Home Garden: Rs. 1,000 if less than 1 acre in Colombo District

Certification fees cover one year. If a certificate is issued for less than 1 year, the fees will be prorated.

Organic PGS

Process for Independent Farms

Producer Groups

Costs

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Good Market Lanka