A recent audit conducted by the European Union's DG Health and Food Safety has uncovered significant deficiencies in the certification of Indian organic products that were being exported to Europe.
The audit, conducted in November 2022, revealed numerous weaknesses in the supervision and implementation of controls at several levels.
The audit team discovered serious violations of the National Programme on Organic Production (NPOP) by 26 organic producer groups (PGs). These violations included a lack of adherence to the NPOP and a lack of knowledge among farmers about organic farming practices.
In many cases, farmers were unaware of their membership in PGs or the internal control systems (ICS) of these groups. Additionally, unauthorized substances and chemical fertilizers were being used by farmers, contrary to organic production standards.
Inspector’s lunacy
During the evaluation process, the audit team encountered difficulties in locating some PGs, as their registered addresses did not correspond to physical offices. In one instance, a farmer had a pile of burned plastic material in the middle of an organic field. Although the pile was noted as a violation, the inspector failed to notice an unburned plastic jug containing Chlorothalonil, a non-systemic fungicide prohibited in organic production.
The audit report emphasized that non-compliance with the NPOP among producer groups and the poor quality of inspections were some of the significant weaknesses.
The report also highlighted that the control system's structure and organization remained unchanged since a previous audit conducted in 2015.
The EU audit also evaluated the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which serves as the coordinator for implementing the NPOP.
APEDA also functions as the secretariat of the National Accreditation Body responsible for certifying and ensuring the authenticity of organic production.
