APPA’s General Director of the Laboratory, Nicolas Buyatti said; “The certification of the Official Fiber Quality Laboratory has made possible to increase its level to the maximum, ensuring accuracy and transparency throughout the process, providing an impartial means of dispute resolution”.
In 2017 APPA opened an official laboratory for Cotton Fiber Quality Analysis by HVI instrument. The Laboratory provides services to producers, spinners, ginners, cotton merchants and organizations that work in the research, development and improvement of cotton varieties. In 2018 the laboratory started to participate in international quality controls by the Department of Agriculture of the United States and the Commercial Standardization of Cotton Testing Instruments (CSITC) Round Trials as a first step to qualify for the ICA Bremen certification as well as the introduction of Argentina (represented by APPA) as a member of CICCA to support of good trading practice and the sanctity of contract.
ICA Bremen developed the laboratory certification scheme based on ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials International) and CSITC (Commercial Standardisation of Instrument Testing of Cotton), as well as building on the good practices of USDA and its own laboratory experience.
Open to any international cotton testing laboratory, participating laboratories must meet a level of quality assurance based on specific criteria in eight modules, including conditioning, maintenance, calibration and testing procedures.
Once certified, they will also become a ‘Laboratory of Choice’ to resolve quality disputes in line with the ICA Bylaws & Rules, as well as providing a service to the cotton industry.
To find out more about the ICA Bremen International Laboratory Certification Scheme visit www.ica-bremen.org or email .