Certification of Organic Products
Certification of Organic Products
Subject : Economy
Section: Agriculture
Organic farming is a farming system which avoids the use of synthetic inputs (such as fertilizers, pesticides etc.) using biological systems of nutrient mobilization and plant protection to produce toxic residue free food and achieve agri-ecosystem health and biodiversity.
In News: European Union Audit (by EU’s DG Health and Food Safety) found many weaknesses in the certification of Indian organic products for export to EU:
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For Domestic market and imports:
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the regulator (comes under Ministryu of Health and Family Welfare). It has brought out the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations in 2017. These Regulations recognizes two systems of certification i.e. Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) and National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) and also acts as secretariat of the National Accreditation Body. The NPOP is notified under APGMC act and controlled by Agriculture Marketing Advisor, Directorate of Marketing and Inspection looks after domestic certification.
For Exports:
National Programme on Organic Production (NPOP) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry regulates the organic farming certification. It sets standards for organic farming and organic produce and accredits certifying agencies. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is the implementing agency for NPOP. These standards have been recognized by both the EU, Switzerland and the US. The NPOP is notified under FTDR Act and controlled by APEDA which looks after the requirements of export.
| Participatory Guarantee System Participatory Guarantee System of India (PGS-I) is a quality assurance system that operates outside the ambit of certification agencies and is based on stakeholder participation (producers and consumers). The foundational principle of PGS is TRUST, where consumers and producers come together under a shared vision. As part of this TRUST consumers trust that producers will be committed to protecting nature and consumer health through organic farming. |
Other Programs related to Organic Farming:
- Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY): It is a component of the Soil Health Management (SHM) project under NMSA (National Mission of Sustainable Agriculture) by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER): It is a sub-mission under the NMSA (National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture) of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare launched in 2015 for the north-eastern States.