Light Barriers to Imports

Country Content Sections/Tabs

Country Content Sections/Tabs

Policy Information

Policy Information

Government Agency(s) / Competent Authority

Authorized Government Agency(s):

Directorate General of Animal and Plant Health (DGPSA / MAG) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

Agency(s) Contact Information:

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Km.
8 ½ Carretera Masaya Managua-Nicaragua

Telephone: (505) 22760200 (505) 22760204
Website

Organic Regulations and/or Standards

Name(s) of Regulation and/or Standard:

Nicaraguan Mandatory Technical Standard ORGANIC FARMING (website; in Spanish)

Date of Implementation: 2009

Regulation and/or Standard Scope:

Covers production, processing, storage, and marketing of agricultural food products. Includes standards for beekeeping and provisions for wild harvesting. All certification bodies, organic inspectors, organic farmers, organic farm in transition, establishment of processing, packaging, marketing, storage, processing and transportation of products, must register as such before the Competent Authority.

Imported Products

Imported organic products may be marketed only when:

They originate in a country on a reciprocal list established by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade (MIFIC). The competent authorities or institutions in the imported product's country of origin issued an inspection certificate which indicates that they have been produced by a method equivalent to this Nicaraguan Mandatory Technical Standard organic production.

Certification and Accreditation

Certification:

Certificaiton is required.

Accreditation Method:

Government

Accreditation:

National Accreditation Office (ONA) oversees accreditation. Certifiers must register.

Additional Information

Reference Standards:

Codex Alimentarius

Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, plus Panama and the Dominican Republic are benchmarking their standards to a regional organic standard - the Central America Regional Standard. August 2016 these regional standards were put before the World Trade Organization for comment.

Additional Information:

USDA's GAIN Report Exporter Guide (2021)
USDA's GAIN Report Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Export Certificate Report (2021)
USDA's GAIN Report Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Country Report (2022)

Definitions

Definitions

Term

Definition

Health and Wellness

Health and wellness is the aggregation of organic packaged food and beverages, fortified/functional packaged food and beverages, naturally healthy packaged food and beverages, better for you packaged food and beverages and food intolerance products.

Organic packaged foods and beverages

This category includes packaged food & beverages that are certified organic by an approved certification body. Organic production is based on:

• A system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers.
• Organic food & beverages are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation.
• The use of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organism) is prohibited. “Certified Organic” means the item has been grown according to strict uniform standards that are verified by independent state or private organizations.
• Depending on the country, such products are called ‘organic’, ‘biological’ or ‘ecological’: For organic products to be included under Euromonitor definitions, the organic aspect needs to form part of positioning/marketing of the product. This is an aggregation of organic baby food, bakery, confectionery, dairy, ice cream, oils and fats, ready meals, rice, sauces, dressings and condiments, snack bars, soups, spreads, sweet and savory snacks and other organic food.

Note that fresh food products or individual ingredients are not included in this definition.

Compound annual growth rate (CAGR)

The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is the average annual growth rate over a specified period of time. For instance, the CAGR consumption of from 2018 – 2021 will be the average growth rates across these three years.

USDA GATS data clarification

The data presented in table 2.4 represents the dollar values of the top 5 organic commodities as well as of the total organic exports of the trade partner for the period 2018-2021 as per the United States Department of Agriculture’s Global Agricultural Trade System, a database consisting of international agricultural, fish, forest and textile products trade statistics dating from the inception of the Harmonized coding system in 1989 to present.

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How to use this website

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) brings the US organic industry to developing markets around the world. This database is a comprehensive tool for OTA membership interested in participating in or expanding international trade in organic products by providing information to understand international markets for organic products. Select the country you wish to export to and find out whether it has an agreement with the United States, who its certifiers are, and much more.

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