10 times more expensive organic vegetables**: Certification fees linked to species area

The strict implementation of organic standards has resulted in a low yield of vegetables. The retail price is 10 times that of ordinary bulk vegetables, but it is not necessarily much higher than other vegetables in terms of safety and nutrition.

Recently, there are rumors that "organic vegetables are processed and labelled," and some netizens have even said that "certified organic vegetables can be bought only if they pay." So, where are the prices of organic vegetables that are several times higher than ordinary vegetables? Are organic vegetables really organic?

Some organic vegetables are 10 times the price of ordinary bulk vegetables in Beijing Carrefour Guangqumen, the reporter randomly viewed the prices of several types of vegetables in different grades.

Bulk cabbage was 1.98 yuan per kilogram and small tomato was 2.98 yuan per kilogram. The branded vegetables on the shelf are finely packaged. The Chinese cabbage and small tomatoes are 12.98 yuan per kilogram. The cabbages and small tomatoes affixed with the primary organic product certification mark are the same as 19.8 yuan and 29.8 yuan per kilogram. The price is ordinary bulk. 10 times that of vegetables. The "noble value" of organic vegetables is evident.

Where are the expensive organic vegetables? Lin Yuan, general manager of Tian An Agricultural Co., Ltd., said: “Because of the high environmental requirements and the difficulty in planting, we must strictly implement the standards and the cost will go up. Our organic vegetable profits are not much higher than non-organic quality vegetables.”

Tianan Agricultural Company, headquartered in Xiaotangshan Town, Changping District, Beijing, is the earliest and largest special vegetable planting base in China. It once supplied vegetables to the core area of ​​the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and has a well-known vegetable trademark “Xiaotangshan”. Previously, the authenticity of its organic vegetables has caused controversy.

According to the organic standards, only biofertilizers are used for vegetables, and the yield is low. Once pests and diseases are encountered, only biological pesticides with poor efficacy can be used. Production cuts and even absolute production are inevitable. On average, in Tian’an, the output of organic vegetables is 60% to 70% of non-organic quality vegetables, while the prices of bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides are higher, plus the cost of certification, and the final pricing will be about 30% higher.

According to reporters at the Xiaotangshan base of Tianan Agriculture, there are 14 greenhouses producing organic vegetables. The growth of vegetables is obviously weaker than other vegetables. The size and appearance of the cucumbers are also worse. Outside the solar greenhouses, grazing insects, insect nets, yellow-blue stick boards, and gray ropes that avoid maggots were installed.

In spite of this, the reporter found that a 0.8-mu sweet pepper still suffered from a physiological pest and began to deferrish. Lin Yuan took the top of the bell pepper, and a mass of white dust flew up. "This is a whitefly. If it is not on an organic plot, you can still use pesticides and make up for it. Now you can only watch it die."

Certification fees are linked to certified varieties and areas. Currently, Tianan Agriculture sells approximately 6 million kilograms of vegetables each year in the Beijing market, of which 3% to 5% are organic vegetables, and the rest of the vegetables are based on comprehensive GAP requirements and non-pollution and green standards. produce.

“Organic Product” national standard defines organic agriculture as follows: in accordance with certain principles of agricultural production, genetically engineered organisms and their products are not used in production, and chemical synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, growth regulators, feed additives, etc. are not used. Substances, following the laws of nature and ecology, coordinate the balance between planting and breeding, and adopt a series of sustainable agricultural technologies to maintain a stable agricultural production system.

The certification of organic vegetables includes both plots and vegetable varieties. At present, Tianan has certified 26 vegetable varieties in two plots. Lin Yuan said that the cost of certification is linked to the variety and area of ​​certification. After certification, the certification body will calculate the approximate output based on the certified plot size and the type of vegetables to be grown, and then issue a corresponding number of organic product certification marks. The logo is divided into two categories, "Chinese organic products" and khaki "Chinese organic conversion products." Products that are produced during the conversion period of organic products or processed products that use the products produced during the conversion period can only be labeled ". Conversion" sign.

Aiming at high-end customers, organic vegetables cannot over-promote that organic organic agriculture is not only concerned with the products but also the overall benefits of the entire production system.

"We don't produce much organic vegetables ourselves, and we don't approve of excessive promotion of consumption of organic vegetables," said Lin Yuan. At present, Tianan's premium vegetable prices are two to three times higher than the prices of similar vegetables on the market, and organic vegetables are another 30% higher. The frequent occurrence of accidents in the field of food safety may be a background for consumers eagerly chasing organic vegetables, but Lin Yuan believes: “The international advocacy of organic standards is mainly from the perspective of environmental protection. In fact, although the organic product is indeed lower However, in terms of safety and nutrition, it is not necessarily much higher than pollution-free and green vegetables, for example, bacterial and bacterial contamination caused by bio-fertilizer, and organic vegetables are similar to ordinary vegetables in terms of vitamins and trace elements. Whether or not the taste is better, the benevolent sees the person, the wise sees the wisdom."

"More importantly, the strict implementation of the organic standards of vegetable production is low. If it is widely promoted, how can we protect everyone?" Lin Yuan said, "At present, the proportion of organic vegetables in Germany is only 8%. We believe that as long as everyone The strict implementation of pollution-free standards, safety, and low prices will satisfy the needs of the public."