October adds additional challenges to organic soybean meal trade

U.S.-India organic trade outlook still in flux according to Mercaris

The hits keep coming for U.S.-India organic trade—that’s the takeaway from Mercaris in November on the cusp of a number of changes in October out of India. The impacts came in late October when the Indian Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) barred four organic certifying agencies from registering any new processors or exporters of organic products, while also issuing a year-long suspension of OneCert International.

The other agencies affected were CU Inspections India Pvt. Ltd., ECOCERT India Pvt. Ltd., Indian Organic Certification Agency, and Aditi Organic Certifications Pvt. Ltd.

Mercaris notes that the APEDA announcement followed a decision by the European Union, but has global implications.

“The EU issued a blacklist to these organizations on the grounds of failing to meet regulatory standards,” says Ryan Koory, Vice President of Economics for Mercaris. “In an average year, this decision by ADEPA alone would have put strain on U.S. organic trade with India. Combining this decision with the other events of 2021, it is especially biting and will likely interfere with re-certification efforts already happening.”

The National Organic Program (NOP) is requiring all Indian operations to recertify through an NOP recognized organization by July 12, 2022 if they wish to continue selling organic products in the United States.  Of note, the Mercaris review of NOP’s Organic Integrity database found only 53% of the 1,172 India-based organic operations listed were certified through one of these organizations.

In addition to the recertification issues, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) also released a Decision Memorandum regarding the anti-dumping duty (ADD) portion of its investigation of organic soybean meal from India.

“This announcement was a critical piece in anticipating the tariff rate for U.S. soybean meal imports from India going forward,” adds Koory. “The recent announcement determined Indian sourced organic soybean meal is likely being sold in U.S. markets at less than fair market value, thus warranting an ADD in addition to countervailing duties.”

Mercaris explains in deeper detail the ADD findings and rates in this November’s recently released Monthly Market Update. To find more details and information on other organic and non-GMO markets, visit mercaris.com.

Organic & Non-GMO Insights December 2021