Exports of certified organic products touches Rs 1866 cr

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SME Times News Bureau | 20 Jul, 2012
In FY 11-12 exports of certified organic products touches Rs.1866 crores in value with an increase of 167 percent, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority of India (APEDA) said Friday.

"Last year (FY 2011-12) India supplied certified organic products to various countries in Europe, Asia and US of value Rs.1866 crores with an increase of 167 percent in terms of export value and 111.63 percent in terms of volume which included food, cotton and textiles products. Export is a mainstay of organic marketing and is to be expanded further to reach a volume of one billion US dollars by 2015," said Asit Tripathy, Chairman, APEDA, under Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Keeping this in their minds, APEDA will be launching certification standards for organic textiles, "National Organic Textile Standards (NOTS)", which have recently been included under the National Programme for Organic Productions (NPOP) on July 27 in the national capital.

"As there is a revolution brewing in Organic Agriculture in our country, introduction of NOTS under NPOP will further lead to rural transformation and sustainable development in the country by strengthening the position of farming families socially and environmentally for a better future," Tripathy added.

Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce, Industry & Textiles, Government of India, has consented to be the Chief Guest of this event on the occasion.

"The certification standards for organic textiles have been finalized as part of the certification process under NPOP, a legal regime administered by Department of Commerce as part of the Foreign Trade Policy. India took over the long-standing position of the Global Organic Textiles standards (GOTS), a private standards prevailing in the organic textiles industry by introducing NOTS. India has also the distinction of being the only Country in the World to have introduced Organic Textile standards at the National Level," Tripathy said in a statement.

"Today, the European Commission, Switzerland and the United States of America recognize NPOP Standards and the conformity assessment procedures of India (1SO -17011) to be equivalent to their country standards resulting great acceptance for Indian Organic Products in their markets. India is negotiating with Japan and Canada for equivalence," he said.

"India has been a potential supplier of all categories of organic products to the world and exports are growing at an average pace of 30 percent over the past five years. There are more than 1000 branded organic products produced in India and each one is backed up with certification and traceability," he added.

On this occasion the organic fashion show will showcase the products of artisans from different parts of the country producing fabrics using organic fibers and dyes.