• India’s rank in terms of organic agricultural land in the world was 9th; in terms of total number of producers, it was 1st as per 2018 data (Source: FIBL & IFOAM Year Book 2018).
• The Central Government has implemented the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). It features an accreditation programme for certification bodies, standards for organic production, promotion of organic farming etc. The NPOP standards for production and accreditation system have been recognised by the European Commission and Switzerland for unprocessed plant products as equivalent to their country’s standards. Similarly, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has recognised NPOP conformity assessment procedures of accreditation as equivalent to that of US. With these recognitions, Indian organic products duly certified by the accredited bodies of India are accepted by importing countries.
• As on March 31, 2018, the total area under organic certification process (registered under NPOP) was 3.56 million hectares (2017-18). This includes 1.78 million hectares cultivable area and another 1.78 million hectares for wild harvest collection.
• Madhya Pradesh has largest area under organic certification, followed by Rajasthan, Maharashtra and UP.
• During 2016, Sikkim converted its entire cultivable land (more than 76,000 hectares) under organic certification.
• India produced 17 lakh MT (2017-18) of certified organic products, including oilseeds, sugarcane, cereals, millets, cotton, pulses, medicinal plants, tea, fruits, spices, dry fruits, vegetables, coffee etc.
• Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer, followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. In terms of commodities, oilseeds are the single largest category, followed by sugar crops, cereals and millets, fibre crops, pulses, medicinal, herbal and aromatic plants, and spices and condiments.
• Total volume of exports (2017-18) was 4.58 lakh MT. Organic food export realisation was around Rs 3,453.48 crore. Organic products are exported to the US, EU, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Israel, South Korea, Vietnam, New Zealand, Japan etc.
• In terms of export value realisation, oilseeds (47.6%) lead among products, followed by cereals and millets (10.4%).