SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organisation (JKTPO) today organised a National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) awareness drive for organic certification of Saffron, GI tagged and ODOP products of Pulwama district in collaboration with Invest India (One District One Product) team, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry at Sanat Ghar Bemina, here.
The workshop was organised with a vision to provide training and certification to farmers who are already pursuing organic farming but do not have the necessary certification for their products’ authenticity.
JKTPO has taken many initiatives for promotion of ODOP in Jammu and Kashmir. This includes conduction of Buyer-Seller meets, participation in national and international trade fairs/ Exhibitions and Capacity building programs. This drive will increase the export potential of saffron as organic certified products have a huge international market.
As part of the capacity building initiative by ODOP team, Invest India, DPIIT, GoI, organised Organic Certification training and workshop for Saffron farmers, as many such workshops are to be conducted across the country where the farmers will be provided the training for organic certification and eligible farmers will be registered under National Programme on Organic Production.
National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industries, Government of India involves accreditation of Certification Bodies, standards for organic production, promotion of organic farming and marketing etc.
The NPOP standards for production and accreditation have been recognized by the European Commission and Switzerland for unprocessed plant products as equivalent to their country standards. With these recognitions, Indian organic products duly certified by the accredited certification bodies of India are accepted by the importing countries.
On this occasion, District Agriculture Officer, Pulwama said that organic certificate of Saffron will boost the demand of saffron internationally and will also help in doubling the farmer’s income and fulfilling the dream of Prime Minister.
The drive was led by Jagannath representative from Aditi Organic certifications Pvt Ltd.
It is worthwhile to mention that 100+ farmers from Pulwama district were given the necessary training and guidance for obtaining Organic Certification during this program.
JKTPO in collaboration with Invest India will organise similar organic certification drive of Kishtwar Saffron at Kishtwar soon, for the benefit of Saffron farmers.