Brcko, 28 November 2013 – BIMAL j.s.c. company organised the ceremony of awarding international certificate Danube Soya by the certification company SGS, headquartered in Switzerland, in accordance with the EU standards and guidelines of the Danube Soya Association based in Vienna. BIMAL received the Danube Soya certificate from the representatives of the SGS Belgrade Company who conducted the certification in this company.
By introducing this standard, BIMAL became the first company in the former country to implement the Danube Soya standard which covers the purchase and trade of soy as well as the primary processing of soy into semi-finished and finished products and which now qualifies BIMAL to market soybean seeds, crude oil, edible oil, protein meal and soy lecithin under the Danube Soya standard.
Danube Soya Association was formed with the aim to encourage production of high-quality non-GMO soy in the Danube region and to reduce Europe’s dependence on imports of this oilseed, which currently stands at over 95%. Earlier this year, the Danube Soya Association initiated the program of introducing companies in the region with its goals and programs, and BIMAL was the very company which in Brcko in February this year hosted the first informational campaign event in the region about this.
The Danube Region is highly suitable for cultivation of soybean and Europe is experiencing a growing demand for non-GMO soy. Deputy CEO of BIMAL Mitja Kovacic noted that this company, which is primarily a dependable buyer of non-GMO soy, directly contributes to the development of agricultural production of genetically unmodified strain of this oilseed, and thus contributes to the implementation of EU objectives through this Association. “For many years BIMAL has marketed the products made exclusively from non-GMO soy, but now BIMAL’s standard practice is confirmed and documented with this exacting standard together with which we now boast the total of 7 implemented standards for quality management and control. All BIMAL’s interests go towards the protection of our customers and meeting their needs and desires, and I believe that the implementation of the Danube Soya standards will contribute to an even greater confidence in our soy products,” said Mr. Kovacic.
In the certificate-awarding ceremony, Director of SGS Belgrade, Marinko Ukropina, who personally handed the Danube Soya certificate as proof of a successful completion of implementation of the standard in BIMAL’s production system, said: “Over the past year we have received a number of queries for the implementation of the Danube Soya standard and BIMAL is the first company in the region that has managed to fulfil all the requirements of this international standard. This standard is particularly unique because it requires repeated audits in a single year and we believe that BIMAL will regularly meet all of the standard’s requirements, with equal success, which the company has just proven through this implementation. “