When the topic of organic certifications first came up, I found myself resistant. "Why entangle farmers on this web?" I argued. "It might be a straightforward process for companies, but for farmers, it's just another hurdle." At that time, my belief was that certifications would only serve to complicate the lives of farmers, because completing the formalities would be difficult and it would add layers of bureaucracy to their already challenging work.
In the early days, our approach was hands-on and grassroots. We, alongside fellow farmers, collected samples of our harvest and sent them to labs for testing, ensuring the quality and safety of our produce. We sold our products in Delhi NCR stores and directly to our consumers, relying on the purity of our process rather than official stamps of approval. Our packaging made no mention of certifications, and yet, our commitment to organic farming was unwavering.
However, as we ventured further, it became evident that many consumers sought the assurance that comes with certifications. It was not just about consumer preference; it was about adhering to norms and standards that govern organic products. Recognizing this need for validation and the role of certifications in building trust, we embarked on the path to obtain our official organic certification.
How to identify organic products?
Is there a system in place for the quality assessment or verification of organic products? This question arises in everyone's mind! Let's try to find an answer to it.
The existing organic food regulatory system in the country is also responsible for regulating organic food. It traces all stages of the organic product's journey from the farmer to the consumer, such as production, processing, storage, shipping, etc., according to specified standards. According to the Organic Foods Safety and Regulation 2017, all organic substances must mandatorily feature the “India Organic” certification mark along with its certification symbol.
There are two existing certification systems in the country's certification system:
NPOP and PGS-India
- NPOP provides organic farming certification through a third-party certification process. It is implemented by APEDA, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. NPOP standards are recognised as equivalent to those of the United States and the European Commission by their respective recognition systems.
- PGS-India is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Each stage in the matter of organic products is important. Whether it's production, processing, storage, or shipping! Let's try to understand this entire process.
We will take two examples: one of an organic producing farmer or farmer group, and the other of an institution/company that buys their products from organic farmers and delivers them to consumers.
For example, the farmer practising organic farming is named “Rahul”, who owns an acre of land for organic farming. To market his organic products, Rahul must follow certain rules, such as keeping his land free from synthetic fertilisers and pesticides for three years, forming a local farmer group and registering it with PGS-India. After this, the sampling agency will annually take a sample of Rahul’s crop or the entire farmer group / community’s crop for testing by a standard lab. Additionally, Rahul must submit a complete record of all crops produced on his one acre of land online. If Rahul has grown four crops on his one-acre land... crop one is sugarcane, crop two is wheat, crop three is lemongrass, and crop four is millet, then Rahul must specify how much of the acre was used for each crop. If Rahul has planted sugarcane in a quarter of the acre, he must provide information on how the remaining three-quarters of the acre was used. Rahul must also specify how much of the harvest he will use personally and how much he will sell.
Now, let's talk about the company delivering organic products to the consumer... For example, the organic institution/company is named “Shuddhagram Organic”. When purchasing organic products, “Shuddhagram Organic” must keep all the information of the organic farming farmer or group, and also submit this information online. Let's assume that Shuddhagram Organic has bought 1000 kg of wheat from a farmer or farmer group. Now, Shuddhagram Organic must submit this information online about the purchased wheat, which will be added to Shuddhagram Organic’s stock and deducted from the farmer or farmer group’s stock. Since the land and crop information of the farmer/farmer group practising organic farming is available online, they can only sell as much as they have produced. If their production capacity is 1000 kg of wheat, they cannot claim to have produced another 1000 kg of wheat after selling the first batch. Now, if Shuddhagram Organic sells 500 kg of wheat, then 500 kg of wheat will be deducted from Shuddhagram Organic's stock. This process will continue accordingly. If this farmer or farmer group has another crop, the same rules apply because the data of the crops produced by the farmer or farmer group is already available online on a government website, any buyer company can only purchase the crop that the farmer or farmer group has grown!
