Government notifies procedure for export of certified organic products

New Delhi: The government has laid out a procedure for export of certified organic products, requiring mandatory certification under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) for such shipments, according to a public notice.

The Directorate General Of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a public notice said that a product will be allowed to be exported as "organic product" only when accompanied by a Transaction Certificate (TC) issued by a certification body accredited by the National Accreditation Body for such items under the NPOP of the Department of Commerce.

India has fixed a target of $2 billion exports for organic food products by 2030.

It added that exports of these goods shall only be certified as such if produced, processed, packed and labelled as per the standards laid down in the NPOP.

"Procedure for export of certified organic products has been notified," it added.

The revised edition of the NPOP will come into force with effect from 180 days from January 5.

The commerce ministry's arm APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) has revised the NPOP's regulations to make it more farmer-friendly and help India push exports of organic food products.

The National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) provides standards for organic production and procedure for accreditation of certification bodies.

The standards and procedures have been formulated in harmony with other international standards regulating the import and export of organic products.

During April-November this fiscal, these exports rose by about 40 per cent to $456 million. It was $495 million in 2023-24.

To promote Indian organic goods in the global markets, he said, APEDA is facilitating the participation of a number of companies in 'BioFach', which is the largest organic food trade fair in Nuremberg, Germany. The four-day fair will start from February 11.

The country's organic food exports have grown at a steady pace and over the past decade, exports of organic products have grown from $213 million in 2012-13 to $494.80 million in 2023 -24.

The main export destinations include the USA, European Union, Canada, UK, Switzerland, Australia, Middle East, and Asian countries.

The major export items are cereals and millets, processed food, tea, spices, dry fruits, sugar, medicinal plant products, pulses, coffee, oil cake/meal, and oil seeds.