The Participatory Guarantee Systems Organic Council (PGSOC), a coalition of 21 civil society organisations, has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention into change in the organic certification framework notified by the Food Safety Standards Association of India’s (FSSAI) under the Union Health and Family Ministry recently.
In a letter, the PGSOC requested the PM to direct the Ministry not to authorize any single Government body to give certification for organic entities.
They mentioned that each of PGSOC members was giving such certification.
Addressing a Press meet, Prasant Mohanty, Executive Director of NIRMAN, which is promoting organic farming practices in Odisha, said that the FSSAI notification on December 29, 2017 directs that organic certification can only be provided by the NCOF through PGS-India or APEDA through accredited third-party certification agencies from July 1, 2018 and termed it as problematic.
The PGSOC alleged that farmers, who promote organic firming in the country, have been totally disempowered by the move of the FSSAI and the very spirit of organic farming has been destroyed.
On June 27, the PGSOC had announced ‘Pastapur Declaration’ to analyse the change in organic certification in the country.
It might be mentioned here that 240 farmers in Tumudibandh block in Kandhamal district have been certified under the PGSOC. NIRMAN programme director Suresh Chandra Bisoyi and senior advisor Ekadashi Nandi were present, among others.