On the lines of the prominent Amul brand in the milk sector, India on Wednesday launched the “Bharat Organics” brand for organic items produced by cooperative societies to compete in the global and domestic markets.
Six products — tur dal, chana dal, sugar, rajma, basmati rice, and sonamasoori rice — have already been identified to be sold under the Bharat Organics brand through Mother Dairy’s Safal outlets and online platforms. "They will soon be available in the open market,” said Union Home and Corporation Minister Amit Shah at an event here after launching the logo of the National Cooperative Organics Ltd (NCOL), which has been entrusted to act as an umbrella organisation managing the entire supply chain of organic products produced by various cooperative societies and related institutions across the country.
It is hoped that with access to national and international markets under a strong brand, the members will get better returns for their organic produce. According to the data, the total size of the world organic food market in 2020 was around `10 lakh crore, of which India’s organic product exports accounted for a meager `7,000 crore.
Currently, the certified Indian organic product retail sales market is around `27,000 crore, and it is expected to reach `1 lakh crore in the next five years. Therefore, the Government wants to ensure that the benefits of this growth reach farmers.
Addressing the ‘National Symposium on Promotion of Organic Products through Cooperatives’ here, Shah said that under the ‘Bharat Organics’ brand, 20 more “Bharat Organic” branded products will be in the market by December. “These products under the brand will emerge as the most ‘trusted’ brand in India and abroad. Initially, the NCOL will sell the organic products in India and later will market them in other countries,” he added.
On the occasion, the Minister also launched NOCL’s website and brochure, and presented NCOL membership certificates to five cooperative societies at the event.
“It has been decided to ensure that 50 per cent of the price received above the Minimum Support Price (MSP) will be directly deposited into the farmer’s bank account on a per kilogram basis,” said the Minister, in an effort to encourage farmers associated with the cooperative sector to participate in organic farming. This practice is not only eco-friendly but also in high demand among health-conscious consumers.
He said that till now, it has more than 950 members in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Nagaland, and membership applications from more than 2,000 cooperative institutions have been received. Shah said the Government has decided that by the year 2024, more than 25,000 members will join NCOL while the work of creating a database of organic farmers has also started. The Minister expressed confidence that after the launch of the ‘Bharat Brand’, India will stand very strongly in the world organic market in the next 10 years.
The Minister also underscored the importance of laboratories recognized by National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) in every district and tehsil of the country to ensure best quality organic products to compete in the market. At present there are a total of 246 laboratories in the country, out of which 147 are private and 99 are of the government, but out of these only 34 labs are recognized by NPOP, said the Minister.
Focusing on the ‘Whole of Government Approach’, the Government has decided to set up about 100 mobile laboratories and 205 laboratories by next year in collaboration with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and other government institutions. “It will increase 300 laboratories and almost every district of the country will be covered, due to which testing and certification of land and products can also be done.
“Thus, there will be 439 laboratories across the country by the next year, which will provide great convenience to the farmers in getting their products certified and also to the NCOL in purchasing the certified products,” said Shah.
The Minister of State for Cooperation, BL Verma, Cooperation Secretary Gnanesh Kumar, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal, NDDB chairman and NCOL chief Minesh C Shah, and FSSAI CEO G Kamala Vardhana Rao were present at the event. The NCOL is jointly promoted by the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Ltd (NCCF), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF), and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED), along with two major statutory central bodies, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
A senior official from the NCDC, an apex lending institute to the sector, said that the NCOL aims at increasing the return on produce while giving organic farmers and producer organisations direct access to the market.