Currently, the export of organic produce is around Rs 5,000-Rs 6,000 crore
Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, while addressing the launch of ‘8th edition of National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP)’ organised by APEDA and FICCI as an event partner, said that India has the potential to triple exports of organic produce to Rs 20,000 crore in the next three years as more and more farmers enter organic farming. “The Indian farmers must slowly migrate to organic farming, increase domestic production, and capture the international market. Currently, the export of organic produce is around Rs 5,000-Rs 6,000 crore which can reach Rs 20,000 crore in the next 3 years.”
He added that the Ministry of Cooperation; the Agriculture Ministry and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry are working jointly to advance organic farming by supporting farmers and FPOs via skill development and training, export facilitation, marketing, packaging, etc. “The global demand for organic products is around Rs 1 lakh crore and with increased promotion and production, this demand may reach Rs 10 lakh crore. India has the largest number of organic farmers globally and ranks second in terms of area under organic cultivation. With some additional efforts, I am confident that we can become the global leader in organic farming significantly enhancing farmers’ income and promoting Indian organic produce to the international market,” noted Goyal.
The Minister also unveiled a dedicated NPOP portal, providing more visibility and ease of operations for organic stakeholders. He also launched TraceNet 2.0 the upgraded traceability platform of NPOP for seamless operations and enhanced tools for regulatory oversight.
During the event, the Minister distributed the first five registration certificates generated on TraceNet 2.0 to organic operators.