Information for AFRISCO's clients

Application procedures

When an operator applies to Afrisco concerning organic certification, we will provide the applicant with a package containing:

• Standards required for full certification and for “organic in conversion”
• Questionnaire on the operator’s organic activities.
• The Organic Management Programme (this document) which contains:
• A description of the application, inspection, certification and appeals procedures, including:
• The contractual arrangements that Afrisco requires, including the obligation on the operator to follow the standards, provide necessary information, and accept inspections and the sanction catalogue
• Fee structure
• Rights and obligations of both parties

The questionnaire requests preliminary information on the operator’s production, in enough detail to:

• Review the client’s current management system, and sort out any difficulties for certification and areas of any difference in understanding of certification requirements
• Provide the inspector with sufficient background for the first visit – i.e.: the area, scale and scope of organic production
• Provide Afrisco with enough detail to estimate the cost of certification.  

The applicant is invited to visit our offices or contact us to sort out any difficulties and differences in understanding.
Afrisco can then make the client (or group of clients in an association) an offer of the price for the first year’s inspection and certification, based on the outlined structure of costing.  This will necessarily differ according to the size and type of operation for which certification is requested.  If the operator accepts the estimate, payment for both inspection and annual certification are requested, before an inspector is allocated to inspect the operation.