Organic products export see steady growth

Export of organic products from India has witnessed steady growth over the past three financial years, as per a statement by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on January 7. Export of organic products saw a jump of 73 per cent to reach the valuation of US$516 million between 2015-16 and 2017-18. To aid this growth, currently, 29 certification bodies are accredited to monitor the certification of organic products for exports from the country. The quantity and value of certified organic products exported from the country during the last three years is as follows:

Meanwhile, to boost India’s organic output,  the Ministry has implemented the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) since 2001 with the following objectives:

1. To support evaluation of certification for organic agriculture and products
2. To support certification bodies that are seeking accreditation for operation
3. To facilitate certification of organic products with the prescribed standards
4. To facilitate certification in line with importing countries organic standards
5. To encourage the development of organic farming and organic processing

The promotion of exports of organic products is a continuous process. Herein, the newly introduced Agriculture Export Policy provides an assurance that no restrictions will be placed on export of organic products. The Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), an autonomous organisation under the Department of Commerce, has been mandated with the export promotion of organic products. APEDA provides assistance to the exporters of organic products under various components of its export promotion scheme.

Government of India has been taking proactive measures to boost agricultural export as well as farmers’ income. In Union Budget 2018-19, the Government has announced an outlay of US$218 million for the food processing industry to set up institutions and fund agro–processing capacity. Another US$78 million has been budgeted for “Operation Greens” for development and management of farmer-producer organisations (FPOs). Simultaneously, a plan to raise the minimum support price (MSP) of crops by 1.5 times that of the cost of production has been announced.