13 november 2026
During this autumn and winter period, RHP’s technical advisors will once again visit around 50 RHP-certified coir locations in India and Sri Lanka. This year, the visits will focus, among other things, on controlling phytosanitary risks, such as tropical weeds and plant diseases.
Consultations and a training session will also take place with certification body IMO, which carries out the independent audits for RHP certification in Asia. RHP’s annual visits are separate from these audits. During the site visits, the technical advisors assess the production processes for coir as a substrate raw material and discuss current points of attention with the companies. Responsible production is also receiving more attention. Companies are interested in RPC certification (Responsibly Produced Coir).
This year, mass balance is one of the focus areas during the visits. A calculation can be used to determine how much coir can be produced at a location. By relating this calculation to the amount of certified coir material, it contributes to ensuring the traceability of the material’s origin. High-quality coir is essential for the substrate industry and, ultimately, for the quality and safety of cultivation.
The technical advisors also look at the source of the water used during the production process. Water plays an important role in coir processing and therefore in controlled production and the quality of the end product. As water can also be a potential source of contamination, its quality requires attention during the production process. Sampling and analyses are used to check whether the water being used is clean.
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This year, specific attention is once again being paid to tropical weeds. Contamination with tropical weeds can occur, for example, during the storage, transport or processing of coir material. Good process control and preventing contamination from the beginning of the chain are therefore important. During the visits, the technical advisors assess how companies control these risks and keep their production processes under control. Particular attention is paid to the links in the chain before the RHP-certified location. These are the fibre mills and the companies that separate the inner nut from the husk. Maintaining an acceptable level of hygiene is a major challenge at these locations. European authorities are also paying increasing attention to the phytosanitary quality of coir. It is important that RHP quality continues to distinguish itself in this respect.
The location visits help RHP to keep in touch with practices in the field, share knowledge and work with certified companies to assess the control of their production processes. RHP therefore also provides short training sessions during the visits. Using plenty of visual material and a concluding quiz, new knowledge about the quality and safety of coir products is shared.
More information about RHP-certified coir products:
https://www.rhp.nl/en/product/coir-products
