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India lacks credible system for certifying organic foods: A K Tripathy
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Thursday, 09 October, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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fiogf49gjkf0d India lacks a credible certification system for organic foods. This was stated by A K Tripathy, joint secretary, Department of Commerce and Industries, at the fourth National Conference on Organic Farming, organised by the Associated Chambers of Commere and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) in New Delhi recently.
Adding that it was imperative that the concerned authorities took note of this, Tripathy, an ex-chairman of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA), said that the commerce and industries ministry had a view to provide a policy environment that would be enabling.
He stated that the ministry was trying to ensure that no ban was imposed on exports of organic foods, even if the primary produce of that commodity were subject to restrictions. He added that organic foods constituted a miniscule part of the country’s total export of agricultural produce.
“Unless the dichotomy between domestic sales and exports is removed, the credibility of India’s organic food exporters would continue to be in question. If domestic standards are made compulsory, the supply would become larger, and in turn, the supply available for exports would also become larger,” Tripathy said.
In his address at the ASSOCHAM meet, Santosh Sarangi, chairman and secretary, APEDA, said, “One of the major challenges for India is to maintain the integrity of organic certification system.”
“All the stakeholders in the organic process, including farmers, processors, traders and certification bodies, should be fully involved and committed to maintain the integrity of the certification system,” he added.
Sarangi stated that the country, which currently holds a meagre 0.35 per cent share in the global organic food market (which is worth $64 billion), had a huge potential to penetrate it.
He added that APEDA was working towards increasing the portfolio of organic products available from export from India in order to have a higher share of organic products for export. “We are expanding the crop production system to include aquaculture and livestock,” Sarangi added.
Addressing the conference, Somnath Poudyal, Sikkim’s agriculture minister, said, “The limited availability of organic inputs, like bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticides, organic seeds, planting materials and others, is a key challenge being faced by the organic farming community in India.”
“We must assure our farming community that their produce would be fully marketed at a fair and legitimate price, and a premium price must be offered to farmers for organic products that differentiate their products from chemical-based ones,” he added.
Poduyal also stressed upon the need to focus on scientific back-up and research in the organic production system. He added that contract farming was another area, which was appropriate to encourage farmers to produce quality organic harvests.
Others who spoke during the ASSOCHAM conference included Krishan Gupta, managing director and chief executive officer, Organic India Pvt Ltd; Surinder Makhija, strategic advisor, Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd, and D S Rawat, secretary general, ASSOCHAM.
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