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Country Content Sections/Tabs

Country Content Sections/Tabs

Policy Information

Policy Information

Government Agency(s) / Competent Authority

Authorized Government Agency(s):

Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA)

Agency(s) Contact Information:

Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food 
Vice-Ministry of Food Safety and Regulations Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food
Department of Organic Agriculture and Native Resources (DAO) 
7a. Avenida 12-90 zona 13
edificio Monja Blanca
Phone: (502) 2413-7000
E-mail: agriculturaorganica.maga@gmail.com 

Organic Regulations and/or Standards

Name(s) of Regulation and/or Standard:

The national regulation in force in Guatemala is the Central American Technical Regulation (RTCA) 67.06.74:16 ‘Organic Agricultural Products: Requirements for production, processing, marketing, certification and labelling’. This regulation was agreed in 2019 by the six Central American countries and approved by the ministerial body of the Ministries of Economy, with the technical support of the Ministries and Secretariats of Agriculture of each state party and came into force on 25 October 2019. In Guatemala, it was officially established through Resolution No.
411-2019 (COMIECO LXXXVVI) and in Ministerial Agreement No.394-2019 of Ministry of Economy (MINECO).
 
The RTCA must be applied by all natural or legal persons engaged in the production, processing, labeling, storage, transportation and marketing of certified organic agricultural products; as well as to the public or private instances that carry out the tasks of registration, control and/or certification of this production.
 
Regulation in Spanish: https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/sica185550anx.pdf

Guatemala has a National Strategic Plan for 2013-2023.

Date of Implementation: 2019

Imported Products

All imports and exports of organic products must be shipped with an organic certification extended by an approved certifying agency.

 

Certification and Accreditation

Accreditation:

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock is the official accreditation agency.

Additional Information

Reference Standards:

Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, plus Panama and the Dominican Republic have benchmarked their standards to a regional organic standard - the Central America Regional Standard. The standard is now implemented as regulations in these countries.

Additional Information:

USDA's GAIN Report Guatemala Exporter Guide (2024)
USDA's GAIN Report Guatemala Food Processing Ingredients (2022)
USDA's GAIN Report Guatemala Food Service - Hotel Restaurant Institutional (2024)
USDA's GAIN Report Organic Products Growth Potential in Guatemala (2015)
USDA's GAIN Report Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Country Report (2024)
USDA's GAIN Report Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Export Certificate Report (2024)
USDA's GAIN Report Guatemala Retail Foods (2024)

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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