What is meant by "Certified organic"?
Organic certification exists to provide consumers with the assurance that claims made by sellers of organic product have substance in fact. "Certified Organic" assures that products were produced and/or processed under conditions required by National Standards and/or international standards for Organic Production

What is INDOCERT?
INDOCERT (Indian Organic Certification Agency) is an independent, nationally operating nonprofit trust whose primary aim is conducting inspections and granting certification for safe and sustainable food and agricultural production sector. INDOCERT is the first indigenous Organic Certification Body in India.

Who are the partners of INDOCERT?
INDOCERT has been set up by a group of Indian NGO's and Corporate organizations with the technical collaboration of FiBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture), bio.inspecta (Swiss certification body) and (Seco Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs).

Is INDOCERT accredited by the Government?
Yes. INDOCERT is nationally accredited by the APEDA (Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority), Govt. of India. The accreditation number is NPOP/NAB/004.

Can INDOCERT certify organic products for export markets also?
Yes. INDOCERT can offer certification for export markets in Europe and US. INDOCERT is accredited by DAP Germany as per EN 45011/ISO 65 to offer certification for Regulation EEC No.2092/91. As USDA - Agricultural Marketing Services has approved and recognized the 'India Organic' seal which can be affixed along with the USDA organic seal on the products and certifications issued by the organic certification bodies accredited by APEDA for products destined for export to the United States. This ensures conformity with technical standards of USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) which authorises INDOCERT to offer certification as per NOP to its operators.

What is NSOP & NPOP?
NSOP means National Standards for Organic Production, which has been formulated by Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India for National Programme for Organic Production. It is the National Programme for Organic Production formulated by Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India.

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What products does INDOCERT certify?
INDOCERT can certify any of the following products such as:-
• Agricultural Crop production
• Animal Husbandry (including Bee Keeping)
• Processing and Trade of agricultural commodities intended for human consumption
• Collections of agricultural products from wild areas
• Fresh fruits & vegetables and tea for EUREPGAP standards

Where can I get a copy of the National Standards for Organic Production?
The National Organic Standard can be obtained from the websites of APEDA (www.apeda.com), commodity boards like Spices Board (www.indianspices.com) and their offices.

What should I do to have my operation certified organic?
You may contact INDOCERT by phone/fax/email and an application package will be sent to you, including the procedures to be followed for inspection and certification process.

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How long will it take for my land to be certified organic?
That depends on the history of your operation and your current compliances with certification standards and regulations. It takes two years for annual crops and three years for perennial crops to be certified as organic.

When and in what labels, will I be able to market my products as organic?

Will INDOCERT market the certified products of organic farmers?
No, INDOCERT does not market products.

Does INDOCERT certify organic inputs?
INDOCERT evaluates inputs used in organic production and confirms their compliance with the National Standards for Organic Production. Presently INDOCERT restricts its input approval scheme to fertilizers and soil conditioners and to inputs related to plant protection (pesticides, repellents etc.)

What records are to be kept by the organic farmer under certification?
An organic farmer under certification must keep systematic records of all farm activities (sowing, intercultural operations, fertilization, plant protection, harvest, purchase, sales and processing) along with the supporting vouchers / bills

Is there any size specification for farm lands to be certified organic?
No, there are no limitations.

Is there any known health hazards associated with using animal waste as fertilizer for organic crops?
Properly managed animal waste will not cause any known health hazards. The producer must manage plant and animal materials to maintain and improve soil organic matter content in a manner that does not contribute to contamination of crops, soils, or water by plant nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals or residues of prohibited substances.

Is it safe to say that using organic fertilizers and other organic farming practices are better for the soil and less of a threat to ground and surface water than conventional methods?
"Organic production" can be defined as "a production system that is managed in accordance with the respective organic standards to respond to location specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity". Organic farmers are required to minimize soil erosion, implement crop rotations and prevent contaminations of crops, water or soil by plant and animal nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals or residues of prohibited substances.

Are there any published guidelines for the organic production of different agricultural crops?
Guidelines for organic production of different spice crops are available from Spices Board; coconut from Coconut Board, rice, pineapple, passion fruit etc. from APEDA, tea from Tea Board, coffee from Coffee Board.

Can I produce the same product as organic and conventional simultaneously?
Simultaneous production of conventional, organic in conversion and/or organic crops or animal products which cannot be clearly distinguished from each other, will not be allowed. However, producers may differ from this rule for the production of perennial crop products (fruit growing, vines) provided the following criteria should be met with:

• There should be a conversion plan for the production area
• The last part of the area in the farm should be converted to organic production in the shortest possible period (not to exceed a maximum of 5 years).
• Appropriate measures must be taken by the operator for the separation of the products obtained from organic and non-organic units.
• The conversion plan proposed by the operator should be signed with an undertaking that he/she shall perform all the operations, will accept the sanctions enforced referred to in Section-4 of NPOP document

Is the use of ionizing radiation allowed at any stage of organic production?
No. Irradiation in the production and handling of organic food is prohibited by organic standards.

Can I use homeopathic treatment to treat my livestock?
Organic standards allow the use of homeopathic treatment in the production of organic livestock.

Can I use the place of origin of the product in the label? (e.g., "Organic Assam Tea")
Yes.

Who should approve the label before I use it on certified products?
Before using the label, the certification body has to approve it for correctness.

Do I have to include the certifier's address on the information panel of my product's package?
Before using the label, the certification body has to approve it for correctness.

Do I have to include the certifier's address on the information panel of my product's package?
No. You must include the certifier's name on the information panel. All other information related to your certification agency is optional.

Is it essential that I must identify my certification agency preceded by "certified organic by" or similar phrase, on the information panel below the name of the operator. Can I meet this requirement by placing the name, acronym, logo or seal of the certification agency anywhere on the information panel?
The full name or registered trade name of the certification agency (which may include acronyms if the acronym is a registered trade name) must be placed on the information panel below or otherwise near the information identifying the operator. Certification agency's logos or seals and unregistered acronyms may not be used.

How long is my organic certificate valid for?
Your organic certificate remains valid until 31st December of next year/until inspection in the next year. Organic certificate stands invalid in cases where you voluntarily surrender or your certification is suspended by the certification agency. Once you have entered the INDOCERT certification system, you must apply for annual inspection to maintain your certification status

What is the frequency of inspections?
Inspection is generally done once in a year. Additional inspections are conducted wherever found necessary

As per which standards, an operator must get his organic production certified for export?
The operator must get his organic production certified as per NSOP and the standards of the country to which it is exported.

Does INDOCERT provide consultancy for organic farming?
Certification agency provides applicants with sufficient information to enable them to comply with the organic standards. But certification agency is prohibited from giving advice, or providing consultancy services to applicants or certified operations for the purpose of overcoming barriers to certification. In other words certification agents must explain the regulations but they cannot tell operators how to correct a noncompliance.

What are the penalties for the misuse of the term "Organic"?
Any operation that knowingly sells, or labels a product as "organic" except in accordance with the organic standards may be subject to legal action

Whom does INDOCERT consider as an "On farm" and "off farm" processor?
On farm processor –
• A farmer who is processing produce only from his farm under certification, in his own processing unit, without adding any other ingredients.
Off farm processor –
• Farmer has own processing unit, but he is also processing certified/ not certified products of other farmers, in the same unit. Or
• Farmer is processing his certified produce at an outside processing unit Or
• Farmer is purchasing other ingredients for mixing with his products or value addition

Should processing be inspected by the certification body?
Yes. All stages of processing after harvest like powdering of spices, grains, dehusking of grains, dehulling seeds etc., must be inspected. The certification body must be informed that if the farmer is processing off farm, then the same must be inspected, as an individual operator or as a subcontracted party of the operator. In cases where the farmer does not get the off farm processing unit inspected, INDOCERT will only allow the sale of fresh produce with reference to organic production.

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Guidance note for Issuing a Transaction certificate.(TC)

“TRANSACTION CERTIFICATE / TC” is a document issued by a certification body declaring that the specified lot or consignment of goods is derived from production and / or processing system that has been certified.

Who issues the TC?
TC can only be issued by an accredited organic inspection and certification body.

When is a TC issued?
TC is issued only after the product is sold to buyer.

What an operator should do to get a TC for a product?
1. Contact INDOCERT for an application form for TC by phone or email or letter.
2. Send in the completed application form signed by the operator.
3. While completing the application form, ensure that you have completed all fields correctly, specially lot numbers, packing units, year of harvest, quantity of harvest etc.
4. Send the copy of the invoice between the buyer and operator for the sold produce.
5. Send the transport / courier document copy and or the vehicle number and mode of transport of the product to buyer to INDOCERT along with the application form.
6. Ensure that the operator has received the invoice from INDOCERT for issuing the TC and the payment of the same has been made already.

How many days will it take for issuing a TC?
INDOCERT shall act upon the urgency of the needed TC and can issue a TC even within one day if the operator has fulfilled all the requirements.

To whom is the TC send?
INDOCERT shall send the original TC as required by the operator either directly to the operator or the buyer itself.

Importance of a TC:
1. As a buyer, he can ensure that genuineness of the bought organic produce is ensured by a third party certification body
2. A trader needs to keep this document for every product he purchases and wishes to resell.
3. A processor needs to have this document to ensure that all raw material purchased and used in the processing is as per the organic norms.

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