Web-based system to trace organic product exports.

New Delhi: A decade after launching the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) to export green products from India, the government is planning to launch a comprehensive web-based traceability software to trace operations from farms to consumers online.

Named ‘TraceNet’, the software has been developed by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda), would boost the existing certification system for the export of organic products.

“The system would help us in maintaining authentic and updated production, certification and export data of organic products online,” Asit Tripathy, chairman, Apeda told FE. Commerce minister Anand Sharma would formally launch TraceNet on Saturday.

The traceability software would also have details about farmers and locations and importing countries could track every aspect of the products.

The demand for the organic products such as tea, spices, honey, basmati rice, coffee, cereals, dryfruits, vegetables, garments and medicinal plants have been growing in the recent years as consumers’ preference for green products has been steadily on the rise particularly in Europe, US and other developed countries.

Organic products are grown under a system of agriculture without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides

The country has put in place standards including norms for organic production and processing, accreditation criteria for certification bodies and norms for the farmers’ group certification for small farmers.

The European Commission and the US, key export destinations for country’s organic product, recognise NPOP standards, due to stringent standards in place. India is the first Asian country to get recognition from EU and Switzerland for equivalence and by US for conformity assessment.

In 2008-09, India produced more than 1.6 million tonne of certified organic products, of which 10,887 tonne was organic cotton which makes it the largest organic cotton producer in the world. The country exported around 44,476 tonne of organic products in 2008-09, valued at $116 million or around Rs 500 crore.

India exported 86 items in 2007-08 having a total volume of 37,533 tonne. The export realisation was around $100.4 million, a growth of 30% over the previous year. Cotton, honey, basmati rice, tea and processed food are the major constituents of the Indian organic food basket.

Currently, India ranks 33rd in terms of total global land under organic cultivation.

Source : Financial Express