Describes the country's standards landscape, identifies the national standards and accreditation bodies, and lists the main national testing organization(s) and conformity assessment bodies.
Last Published: 2/28/2017
Overview                                                                                

Madagascar's Standards Office (Le Bureau de Normes de Madagascar, BNM), is the official body in charge of standards and conformity assessment in Madagascar.  BNM's objective is to draft and publish national standards, manage national trademark conformity, and apply national standards.  BNM also represents Madagascar at regional and international standards organizations such as the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), the CEI (Cycle Engineers’ Institute), the OIML (International Organization of Legal Metrology), and the Codex Alimentarius.  When developing standards, BNM follows international standards, mainly those established by ISO.       

Natural and Biological Products (PRONABIO), a local organization, has developed its own standards, called “NATIORA” to certify its natural goods such as vegetables, spices, and essential oils.       

Standards Organizations                                                   

The main national testing laboratories are:

  • The National Laboratory of Public Works and Building (Laboratoire National des Travaux Publics et du Batiment, LNTPB), which develops standards in construction and engineering materials.

  • The National Institute and Laboratory of Nuclear Sciences and Technogy (Laboratoire de l'Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires,  LINSTN).  Other national laboratories test for conformity with international standards, as highlighted in the next section.

NIST Notify U.S. Service

Member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to report to the WTO all proposed technical regulations that could affect trade with other Member countries. Notify U.S. is a free, web-based e-mail subscription service that offers an opportunity to review and comment on proposed foreign technical regulations that can affect your access to international markets. Register online at Internet URL: http://www.nist.gov/notifyus/

Conformity Assessment                                              

The BNM and the following testing laboratories ensure conformity assessment in Madagascar. 

  • National Laboratory of Public Works and Building (Laboratoire National des Travaux Publics et du Bâtiment, LNTPB): certification of construction materials (cement, iron, etc); study of road materials; study of soil in view of construction stability assessment; control of construction; description of maintenance works; training of engineers. 

  • Antananarivo Laboratory of Chemistry and Microbiology (Laboratoire de Chimie et de Microbiologie d'Antananarivo, LCMA): quality control of food and agricultural goods, classification and conformity assessment.  Standards used are AFNOR, ISO, and the Codex Alimentarius.

  • Chemistry Laboratory of Tamatave (Laboratoire de Chimie de Tamatave, LCT): quality control of agricultural goods such as coffee, vanilla, cloves, litchi, pepper, and essential oils; classification and conformity assessment.   Standards used are AFNOR and ISO.

  • Laboratory of Legal Metrology (Laboratoire de Métrologie Légale, LML): control and standardization of measuring equipment in the commercial and industrial sector.  LML reports to the Ministry of Commerce.

  • Laboratory of the National Center of Research for the Environment (Laboratoire du Centre National de Recherche pour l'Environnement, LCNRE): analysis of environmental samples; monitoring of impacts of industrial activities of environment; scientific support to the industrial sector; control and analysis in the nutritional and food sector; scientific support to the private sector in product quality (shrimp, lobster, agricultural goods, etc).

  • Laboratory of Biochemical Nutrition for the Department of Zootechnics and Veterinary Research (Laboratoire de Biochimie Nutrition du Département de Recherche Zootechniques et Vétérinaires, LBN): chemical and microbiological analysis of raw materials for animal food.

  • Laboratory of the National Center of Industrial and Technological Research  (Laboratoire du Centre National de Recherches Industrielles et Technologiques,  CNRIT): conformity assessment in the following sectors: water, various chemical products, construction materials, civil engineering, and electronics.  Technical support to enterprises.

  • Laboratory for the Control of Pesticides (Laboratoire de Contrôle des Pesticides, LCP): control of agro-pharmaceutical products and pesticides (local or imported).

  • Laboratory of Microbiology, Water, and Consumables (Laboratoire de Microbiologie, des Eaux et des Denrées Alimentaires de l'Institut Pasteur de Madagascar): bacteriological analysis of food, water, and medicines.

  • National Laboratory of the Minister of Mines (Laboratoire National des Mines du Ministère de Mines, LNM): certification of jewelry and precious stones for exports; LNM belongs to the Ministry of Mines.

  • National Laboratory of Research in Telecommunications (Laboratoire National de Recherches en Télécommunications, LNRT): verification, inspection and certification of telecommunications equipment.

  • National Institute and Laboratory of Nuclear Sciences and Technogy (Laboratoire de l'Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires, LINSTN): standardization of ionizing radiation detection apparatus; radioactivity control of food and metallic waste; analysis of geological samples; detection of heavy metal; control of heavy metal in seafood and meat; quantitative/qualitative analysis of atomic elements in powder, solid, and liquid samples.

Product Certification                                           
  
Vanilla, coffee, meat, cloves, seafood, and mining products should be certified before export.  A few forestry products (under CITES regulations) should be certified before export (see Chapter 5 for further details).  There are no mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) with U.S. organizations.

Accreditation                                                                         

Accreditation body and contact information:
 
BNM
P.O. Box 1316
Antananarivo 101 – Madagascar
Tel: (261 20) 22 279 70
E-mail: bnm@moov.mg
 
Accreditation is primarily required in the construction sector.  American companies should work with Malagasy importers to accredit all imported materials in the construction sector (such as cement, iron, etc) in order to avoid potential penalties. 
 
The National Laboratory of Public Works and Building (Laboratoire National des Travaux Publics et du Batiment, LNTPB) provides accreditation of these materials.   

Publication of Technical Regulations                      

Technical regulations and standards developed by the different laboratories are published in the National Gazette of the Republic of Madagascar, if required by law.  U.S. or foreign entities can approach the different laboratories or related departments to comment on final regulations.

Labeling and Marking                                                  

For each certified product, labeling and marking are required on the packaging of the product before sale or export.  All perishable foods must bear a label, in French or English, indicating the origin, the sell-by or use-by date, the ingredients, the method of storage, the name of the manufacturer together with his registration number where appropriate, and the intended use.  Use of the metric system is compulsory in Madagascar.

Contacts

For any information about standards or certification, BNM is the key contact (see address above).
Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.


More Information

Madagascar Market Access Trade Development and Promotion