Question : Organic Food in India

(a) whether according to a report in a leading newspaper, the organic food market in India is growing at 20-22 per cent annually due to increasing health consciousness and awareness among consumers, if so, the facts thereof;

(b) whether India has a rich heritage in organic farming, if so, the details of land in hectares certified as organic;

(c) whether organic farming is a lifeline not only for small farmers who receive a fair price for their produce but also for the environment which gets a fillip, if so, the incentives given by the Union Government of India to the farmers particularly small farmers to promote organic farming; and

(d) whether according to the Delhi based Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) foods that are labelled organic but not certified cannot be considered safe and if so, the action taken by the Union Government of India thereon?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

???? ??? ????? ?????? ???????? ??? ????? ?????? (SHRI PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

(a): According to the study conducted by International Competentence Centre of Organic Agriculture (ICCOA) the growth of Organic Food market in the country during the year 2014-15 to 2016-17 is USD 135 million, USD 160 million and USD 190 million respectively. The market in India will supposedly be touching USD 1.50 billion by 2020.

(b): The State wise area covered under Participatory Guarantee System – India (PGS – India) and National Programme on Organic Production (NPOP) during 2017-18 is provided at Annexure – I.
Contd…2/-


-2-

(c): Government of India has been implementing Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) for promoting organic farming in the country. Under these schemes assistance is provided from cluster formation to marketing including capacity building, inputs and value addition.

(d): Any organic food manufactured, packed, sold, offered for sale, marketed or otherwise distributed in the country is regulated as per the provisions of Food Safety and Standards (Organic Food) Regulations, 2017 which were notified on 29.12.2017. These regulations require Organic Food to comply with the provisions of National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) or Participatory Guarantee System (PGS). However, to support small original organic producer or producer organisation, those with annual turnover not exceeding 12 lakhs per annum have been exempted from certification through NPOP or PGS. The Organic food covered through these regulations should bear FSSAI organic logo i.e. Jaivik Bharat Logo