In its 16th edition, National Conference of Organic Farmers from Romania 2017, organized by the BIOTERRA Association and supported by ADR Nord-Vest through the European project SME Organics, brought together this weekend at USAMV Cluj-Napoca over 250 participants from the country and abroad, representatives of ecological operators, associations and organizations in the agricultural field from the country and abroad, universities and research institutes, as well as local public authorities , regional and national.

The agenda of the event, held throughout the whole day, included plenary information sessions and exchanges of best practices regarding national and European experiences in organic agriculture, as well as an exhibition area dedicated to local organic producers.

A constructive dialogue was started on the proposed measures for The Action Plan for Organic Agriculture, all relevant associations in the country being represented at the event - BIOTERRA, FNAE, Bio-Romania, ARAD - as well as representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Romanian Senate, the Chamber of Deputies and the Government through Cluj Prefecture. Among the proposals put forward are the establishment of a BIO Public Agency under MADR, the introduction of a quota for the purchase of ecological products in school canteens and hospitals, the Pedagogical Farm - a program intended for students of all ages, the launch of a consumer awareness and promotion campaign under the "CHOOSE ECOLOGICAL" slogan, the establishment of a Quality and Authenticity Certification Center for products, as well as a Human Resources and Information Platform - BIO Academy.

The main organizer, the National Association of Organic Farmers in Romania - BIOTERRA, is celebrating 20 years of activity in the service of organic agriculture, being the first and longest-lasting association in the country. With over 3000 members, represented by farmers, producers, processors, traders of organic products, associations, teachers, specialists in the field of agriculture, consumers, they carry out support activities for promotion, training and consultancy, exchange of best practices and representation of the sector at national level.

Through the project SME Organics – Increasing the competitiveness of SMEs in the ecological sector, The North-West Regional Development Agency contributes to the development of this field through actions to facilitate the exchange of best practices between European partner regions, to strengthen collaboration between local actors, the capacity for strategic regional planning of the sector and to promote the importance of ecological products for increasing the competitiveness of companies operating in this field.

The SME Organics project is financed by the European Territorial Cooperation Program INTERREG Europe and is implemented in the North-West Region during 2016-2020, within a European consortium made up of regional governments, development agencies, chambers of commerce, ecological associations, universities and specialized research institutes from Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Finland, Poland and Romania – https://www.interregeurope.eu/smeorganics/