At present, the demand for organic products in India is gradually increasing and consumers are looking for certified products to trust the quality of organic products. At present, there are two types of certification system in India- 1. Third Party Certification (NPOP) system which is governed by APEDA, Ministry of Commerce, which is mainly focused for export purpose and 2. PGS-India Certification System.
Third-party certification involves high fees and documentation, making it challenging for smallholder farmers to afford. To make authentication more accessible, the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS)-India was launched in 2011. It is a simpler and more economical option for small and marginal farmers to certify their organic produce for the domestic market. The programme is implemented primarily through the National Centre for Organic Farming (NCOF) and its five Regional Centres. The NCOF acts as the PGS-India Secretariat, which plays an important role in implementing the PGS-India programme as per the guidelines.
For more information regarding PGS India Certification, please visit the web portal link given here:
For more information on NPOP certification, please click on the following link:
https://apeda.gov.in/apedawebsite/ organic/Organic_Products.html