Bejo 1st professional seed company in the Brazilian Organic Sector

REGULATIONS

The rules in Brazil say that the use of organic seed and other organic propagation material is mandatory for organic productions, as long as there is enough offer of varieties adapted to the needs of the organic growers. If not available, preference shall be given to seeds and propagation material that were not produced with inputs or processes not accepted by the organic production rules.

Approaching the organic sector will be a completely new challenge for Bejo Brazil. It will take time before we have a wide assortment of organic seed audited according to the local rules. The start will be with 19 NCT varieties and only two organic. In July, Bejo launched the organic web shop in Brazil. It is Bejo Brazil its first experience with e-commerce and with sales direct to growers.

Introducing Bejo in organic during Biofach and Hortitec

Many growers had heard that Bejo is now also bringing organic seed and they wanted to know what we had to offer. Our presence at Biofach and Hortitec was perfect to inform them about our entrance in the organic business.
Both events attracted many visitors. During Hortitec we got in contact to many growers and during Biofach, organic consumers were interested in knowing more about the entire production cycle of organic vegetables. 

Growing market demand for organic produce

Statistics for the sector are very poor, but Brazil is supposed to be one of the most important organic production countries, with a very diverse range of products. The organic acreage, including crops as coffee, sugar, nuts, fruits and vegetables is said to be very close to 1 million hectares. On vegetables, the statistics are really scarce, but supermarkets claim that their sales of organic vegetables grow close to 20% a year and that the organic corner is not bigger due to difficulties on finding reliable suppliers who can offer good quality year-round.