With the European Union blacklisting five Indian organic certification agencies and concerns being raised over the country’s process, India’s organic exports may not achieve a 10-fold increase in next five years unless the Union government takes stringent measures to ensure quality, according to experts. However, challenges related to India’s organic control system and increased incidences of fraud continue to impact the credibility of India’s organic sector, and its exports, according to the report released in September 2021. There are more problems in the store and it is a bellwether of India’s organic agriculture,” said S Chandrasekaran, a foreign trade analyst. “In the long-term, creation of a Natural and Organic Agriculture Promotion Board to perform focused and large scale activities should be the road map,” he said. The problem with regard to organic certification is that loopholes in the system are taken advantage of by unscrupulous elements.

Source: The Hindu January 12, 2022 13:44 UTC