Welcome to Good Market Sri Lanka! Click the logo to go to the Good Market Commons
Welcome to Good Market Sri Lanka! Click the logo to go to the Good Market Commons
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. The PGS has been incubated under Lanka Good Market (Gte) Ltd, but it has a separate bank account and committee.
1. Learn
Review the process, the costs, the crop cultivation standards, the animal husbandry standards, and the record keeping requirements.
YComplete a test version of the crop cultivation self-assessment form or animal husbandry self-assessment form to see if you’re ready for PGS verification.
Contact pgs@goodmarket.lk or +94 773 772 122 with any questions.
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 and Self-Assessment
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.
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.
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.
If you have a cluster of at least 3 producers in the same area, you can apply as a producer group. Applying as a group reduces visit costs and certification fees.
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.
Please review the process for Independent Farms and note the additional points for Producer Groups below.
1. 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.
2. Apply
The application should be submitted under the name of the producer group. All members can be linked to the account.
3. Producer Promise and Self-Assessment
A producer promise and a self-assessment form need 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.
4. 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.
5. Certificate
If the producer group is approved, the certification fees must be paid for all producer group members before certificates are issued.
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.
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.
The Good Market Organic PGS is recognized by IFOAM Organics International. The IFOAM PGS badge is included on Organic PGS certificates but cannot be used on organic products.
The Good Market PGS badge can be used on promotional materials and products.
