New Sustainable Water Management Certification Released
A new sustainable certification add-on, SPRING v2, has been released for responsible water management in agriculture. Recognized by WWF Spain and the Sustainability Initiative Fruit and Vegetables (SIFAV), it is designed to integrate with existing GLOBALG.A.P. standards. The certification offers enhanced traceability for irrigation and groundwater use, a key differentiator for European and APAC buyers, with Vietnamese exporters also reportedly moving to adopt it.
- The SPRING v2 add-on, launched in September 2023, places a stronger emphasis on legal compliance with local water extraction laws and sustainable watershed management, a key factor for recognition by WWF Spain where water scarcity is a major issue. It is designed to be paired with the Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard for plants. - India, which accounts for over 40% of global rice exports, lifted its ban on non-basmati white rice exports in September 2024, leading to a significant drop in global rice prices as competitors like Thailand and Vietnam adjusted their prices to remain competitive. However, in September 2025, India mandated that all non-basmati rice exports must be registered with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to better track and regulate shipments. - The European Union is set to implement a new safeguard mechanism on January 1, 2027, that will trigger higher tariffs on rice imports from countries like India and Pakistan if volumes exceed historical averages, a move designed to protect EU growers and millers. - The Thai baht has weakened against the euro by approximately 4.44% over the past year. As of February 20, 2026, the exchange rate was around 0.0273 Thai baht to the euro. - To command higher margins, premium rice brands are increasingly focusing on storytelling to highlight quality and heritage, and educating consumers on topics like sustainability and cultural significance to build brand loyalty. - A recent US-Japan trade agreement, finalized in July 2025, could drastically reduce Thailand's rice export quota to Japan from 300,000 tonnes to less than 100,000 tonnes annually, as Japan has committed to importing a larger share of rice from the US. - In March 2025, Thailand and Singapore signed new trade agreements to deepen economic ties, with Thailand seeking to increase its import quota for Jasmine and other rice varieties into the Singaporean market. - Other sustainability certifications relevant to the rice sector include the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), which offers a global standard for sustainable rice cultivation, and certifications for organic farming, which are gaining traction in European and North American markets.
