Agri, commerce ministers discuss ways to promote organic food

Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today held discussions with his counterpart in the commerce ministry, Nirmala Sitharaman, on ways to promote organic food products and their certification.
In a tweet, Singh said that a single system for organic certification to cater to all stakeholders, including farmers, exporters and consumers, was also deliberated on.
This meeting assumes significance as the commerce ministry is emphasising on promoting exports of organic goods and for that certification of products is important as it helps increase competitiveness in the global markets and fetch higher value.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, the food regulator, has recently released a draft regulation for organic food products, seeking to ensure that these food items are actually organic.

Organic foods will have to comply with the provisions under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) administered by the government or the Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India) run by the Agriculture Ministry or any other standards notified by the food authority.
It has sought public comments on the draft regulations, which has been prepared in view of rising demand for organic food products, being considered as healthy, in the country.