Par panel for strict punishment to curb fake organic products

Worried over fake organic products affecting India's trade, a parliamentary panel today suggested that the government should put in place a provision for stringent punishment against companies involved in manufacturing and export of spurious organic products.
Urgent steps are required to curb sale of fake organic items as India has potential to boost export of organic products to Rs 6,000 crore from the existing level of Rs 1,825 crore, it said.
This is one of the key suggestions made by Parliamentary Committee on Estimates, chaired by BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, in the report on the National Project on Organic Farming placed before Lok Sabha today.

Briefing media on the issue, Joshi said the availability of fake organic produce will have far reaching adverse implications on India's organic trade.
"The Committee recommend that stringent punishment may be meted out to such entities not only involved in making fake organic produce but also the entities dealing by way of trading and exporting spurious organic products," he said.
If the extant legal provisions are insufficient to punish them, suitable steps be taken to empower the agency responsible for monitoring organic produce or if required appropriate legislation may be enacted, he said.

The government had received 25 complaints between 2012 and 2014 regarding detection of pesticides in consignments exported from India or issues related to labelling from the importing countries such as the USA and EU, the report said.

Organic produce is increasingly preferred by developed countries and major urban centres in India.
The global trade is currently Rs 3,60,000 crore and may touch Rs 6,00,000 crore.
Besides ensuring credibility of organic produce, the committee also felt that there was a need to create demand for organic products through PDS, hospitals, army cantonments, schools under Mid Day Meal scheme and Railways.
That apart, the committee also pitched for promoting organic farming in a big way as "this can help reduce the fertiliser bill from the current Rs 70,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore" and encourage balanced use of soil nutrients necessary for achieving higher crop yields and maintain soil health.

Pulling up the government for running various programmes on organic farming in "disjointed" way without much desired outcomes, the Committee recommended that the National Project on Organic Farming be made as part of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and also bring a comprehensive policy on organic farming.