By July 12, 2021, to continue to export to the United States, current organic operations in India will need to have applied for certification with a USDA-accredited organic certifier.

◊ By Pure & Eco India

 Note: To find Indian suppliers of organic products, buy the Organic Directory

As organic supply chains continue to evolve over time, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP) continues to monitor different markets and global organic systems to protect farms and businesses around the world that are following the rules.

Based on these ongoing evaluations, they are changing their approach to organic oversight in India. Currently, USDA does not have direct visibility or enforcement authority over many organic certifiers and operations in India that sell into the U.S. market. USDA has determined that they need a more active oversight presence in India to protect organic integrity.

AMS has informed the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) that they are ending the U.S-India organic recognition, which was established in 2006.

This decision marks a transition period which will allow organic operations certified by APEDA-accredited certifiers to apply for direct certification by USDA-accredited certifiers to the USDA organic standards.

HOW THE TRANSITION WILL WORK

• By July 12, 2021, to continue to export to the United States, current organic operations in India will need to have applied for certification with a USDA-accredited organic certifier.
• By mid-March 2021, USDA certifiers will be able to list these organic operation applicants in India in the Organic Integrity Database, to help U.S. buyers verify that a farm or business in India has applied for NOP certification.
• After July 12, 2022, USDA organic certification by a USDA-accredited certifier will be required to import organic products from India to the United States.
• APEDA-accredited certifiers may apply to NOP for direct accreditation to the USDA organic programme at any time.
• Organic certifiers and operations in India are responsible for ensuring compliance to any additional Government of India export requirements, including TraceNet reporting and documentation.

During this period, AMS will work closely with certifiers to communicate the transition process and assess progress, will heighten its market surveillance, and will closely communicate with APEDA about enforcement needs. 

Exporters need to apply for NOP certification to a USDA-accredited certifier by July 12, 2021, to continue exporting to the US.

Further updates will be posted to the NOP web page for India.

UPDATE: On March 31, 2021, Jennifer Tucker, PhD, NOP Deputy Administrator, hosted a webinar to discuss India’s new certification norms with regards to USDA NOP. The points discussed can be read here.