Poland halts Thai organic jasmine rice sales over EU certificate issue
The 40-tonne shipment could not enter Poland as organic because the original bill of lading showed the vessel left two days before its inspection certificate was approved.
- Poland's agricultural inspection agency has temporarily halted the sale of a 40-tonne shipment of Thai jasmine rice labeled as "organic".
- The halt was due to a certification issue, not a problem with the rice's quality or safety, as its paperwork did not comply with EU organic product standards.
- The specific violation was that the required Certificate of Inspection (COI) was issued after the shipment had already departed from Thailand.
- EU regulations strictly require the COI to be issued before an organic consignment leaves its country of origin for it to be sold as organic within the EU.
The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), citing its Thai Trade Centre in Warsaw, reported on its website that the Gdańsk office of Poland’s Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection (IJHARS) had conducted a routine standards inspection.
It found that certification documents and a quality assessment covering 40 tonnes of jasmine rice imported from Thailand and labelled “organic” did not comply in certain respects with EU organic product standards.
The agency therefore temporarily halted the lot’s sale in Poland with immediate effect to prevent consumers from being misled.
No risk to consumer health was reported.
IJHARS is responsible for food quality control in Poland, inspecting labels, symbols, origin information and the quality of food products made domestically or imported from third countries.
It applies the same standards as those used for EU producers.
This is a routine process conducted regularly on imports from all sources and does not specifically target Thai products.
The Thai Trade Centre in Warsaw noted that IJHARS had previously barred more than 6,600 litres of white wine imported from South Africa from sale in Poland because the labelling lacked details about bottling.
The European Union has strict rules on organic production and the labelling of products as “organic”.
Producers in third countries must follow the same rules as EU producers, with robust control systems and detailed inspections throughout the supply chain.
Separate production rules also apply to different product groups, covering cultivation methods, production processes, farm controls, processing and traceability.
Thailand earns substantial revenue each year from organic rice exports.
Most shipments go to markets with strong purchasing power, health-conscious consumers and an emphasis on the environment, including the United States, Italy, Canada, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
“Overlooking the importance of regulations set by destination countries could affect imports of Thai products worth a substantial amount,” the Thai Trade Centre in Warsaw said.
A Ministry of Commerce report said the 40-tonne lot of jasmine rice from Thailand, labelled “organic”, could not be imported as organic because of a discrepancy in the draft bill of lading (B/L), which gave the estimated time of departure (ETD) as April 9.
The exporter applied to Bioagricert through the TRACES NT system for a Certificate of Inspection (COI) for the lot on April 7, and Bioagricert approved and issued the COI on April 8.
However, the original B/L subsequently received from the shipping line showed that the vessel had departed on April 6, preventing the customer in the destination country from importing the lot as “organic rice”.
This sequence did not comply with EU rules requiring a COI to be issued before an organic consignment leaves the exporting country or country of origin.
The matter was not caused by any problem with the product’s quality or standards.
Despite the case, Thai organic rice retains strong potential and a positive growth outlook in the global market.
Data from the Trade Policy and Strategy Office (TPSO) valued the global organic rice market at about US$7.8 billion, or around THB263.32 billion, in 2024 and forecast continued growth to US$12 billion by 2034.
Thailand exported 22,378 tonnes of organic rice in 2024, worth US$31.1 million, or about THB1.095 billion, representing an increase of 32.0% from 2023.
The breakdown was:
- Organic jasmine rice: 72.1%
- Organic brown rice: 23.1%
- Organic white rice: 3.3%
- Organic broken rice: 1.5%
Thailand’s leading organic rice export markets are the United States, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands and France.
Consumers in these markets prioritise high-quality products and sustainability standards, showing that markets with strict requirements, such as the European Union, continue to offer strong growth opportunities for Thai organic rice, provided standards compliance is maintained consistently.
