Ahmedabad, Oct 10 Export of organic products will grow by nearly 100 per cent in the next few years due to greater participation of farmers and stringent certification by agencies, according to Mr S. Dave, Director, Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority.
Owing to a huge demand for organic products in the European Union, Switzerland, the US, Japan and Korea, the central organisation is taking steps to increase their production, he said. “Currently, 3.8 lakh farmers are engaged in organic farming in India and organic products worth $125 million are being exported,” he said.
“We are making efforts to increase participation by providing training to farmers and all other stakeholders including State government officials,” he said.
The total global market for organic products has been pegged at $40 billion, he added.
In order to make Indian exports more competitive and trustworthy in the international market, the number of certifying agencies is being increased. “Five years back we had only six certifying agencies for organic products, while today there are 16 agencies in the country and four more would be added by end-2010. We are the pioneers in providing group certification for small farm holding which reduces certification cost significantly for small farmers,” he said.
Currently, draft standard proposals are under preparation for aquaculture and organic textiles. Stakeholders would be consulted before finalising the draft and making it legal. The entire process is expected to be completed by end November. Gujarat is potentially good for organic production of dairy products, groundnut, textiles, sesame seed and banana, as also organic aquaculture, he said.
Source : Business Line