Eighth Edition Of National Programme For Organic Production (NPOP):
The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry released the eighth edition of National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP).
National Programme for Organic Production:
- Launched in 2001, it is a key government programme that laid the foundation of systematic development of organic agriculture sector in India, through promoting sustainable farming practices and opening new opportunities for farmers and exporters.
- By setting high standards for organic products, NPOP enhances India’s competitiveness in the global organic market, while helping farmers adopt eco-friendly and economically viable practices.
- The programme involves the accreditation of Certification Bodies, standards for organic production, promotion of organic farming and marketing etc.
- The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce & Industries, is implementing this programme.
Highlights of the 8th Edition of NPOP:
- It introduced key amendments aimed at promoting ease of operations and enhancing transparency for stakeholders, including farmers.
- Certification requirements for organic grower groups have been simplified, and these groups are now granted legal status in place of the Internal Control System (ICS).
- Many portals launched in this edition:
- NPOP portal:The dedicated portal for the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) will provide more visibility and ease of operations for Organic stakeholders.
- Organic Promotion Portal:Farmers, FPOs and exporters can showcase their certified organic products, generate Trade
- Leads and connect with global buyers. This will also include online Training and capacity building sessions for operators on Organic production and also information on Organic Trade events.
- TraceNet 2.0: The upgraded online Organic traceability system for seamless operations and enhanced tools for regulatory oversight.
- APEDA portal:Redesigned and revamped APEDA portal with enhanced user experience and information for the benefit of Agri and Processed food products’ stakeholders.
- AgriXchange portal: Redesigned and revamped AgriXchange portal enables more user-friendly data analysis and generation of reports & data of Agricultural exports making it accessible for the general public.
