Organic farming gets its own state council
The government has set up a National Council on Organic Farming which will act as a permanent advisory body to the Agriculture Ministry on all issues related to organic farming. At a meeting with organic farmers’ organizations yesterday, Agriculture Minister Giorgos Drys said a dialogue would begin immediately. The council, to hold its first meeting in early September, is to be headed by the ministry’s general secretary, Panayiotis Kolyris. Deputy Minister Evangelos Argyris said the ministry aimed to improve and simplify procedures for primary producers entering the sector, upgrade the role of agencies certifying organic produce, set up an Organic Farming Institute, boost the promotion of organic products and provide incentives for investment.
