India will soon unveil updated standards for organic agricultural products to bring them at par with the latest European Union’s grade to bring in more clarity and transparency in the processes while strengthening the regulatory oversight through data analytics, a senior official said.
“National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) 2014 is being revised to account for the long period of 10 years since last revision for changes in the international Organic scenario and Global Organic markets to bring in more clarity and transparency,’ chairman of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority (APEDA) Abhishek Dev said. The new standards will be released on January 9.
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India’s export of organic products comes under the purview of the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) and has been recognized by the European Commission and Switzerland as equivalent to their country’s standards and is also accepted by Great Britain. NPOP was first implemented in 2001.
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The Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) for organic products with Taiwan has been implemented since July this year. Negotiations for an MRA with Australia are at an advanced stage.
Apart from providing standards for organic production, the NPOP also lays down systems, criteria and procedure for accreditation of Certification Bodies, the India Organic Logo and the regulations governing its use.
The changes in NPOP will simplify and clarify certification requirements for grower groups and procedure for shifting farmers to organic will be streamlined. It will also enhance transparency regarding certified organic operators including grower group farmers by uploading basic information in the public domain.
The NPOP 2024 will be supported by a revamped traceability system with data analytics and a Mobile App for inspection and verification of Operators (including grower group farmers) for strengthened oversight of the certification processes.
India has emerged as a prominent supplier of organic products in a span of two decades. India’s organic food exports have grown at a steady pace and over the past decade, exports of organic products have grown to $ 494 million in 2023-24 from $ 213 million 2012-13.
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