By IANS,
New Delhi : As consumers’ preference for organic products grows steadily worldwide, India is targeting exports of over $1 billion of such products in the next five years, Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar said Saturday.
Organic products are those which are grown without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
India produces a variety of organic products such as tea, spices, honey, basmati rice, pulses, coffee, fruits, cotton fibre and body care products.
And these products are exported particularly to the US, Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, South Africa and the Middle East.
“Consumer wisdom on the benefits of organic products has led to the sector’s viability. From $12 million organic exports 10 years ago, we have reached $125 million. We aim to cross the $1 billion level within the next five years,” Khullar said.
He was addressing a conference here on organic produce organised by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to celebrate the decade of the implementation of National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP).
Under the NPOP, India has put in place standards, including norms for organic production and processing, and accreditation criteria for certification bodies.
These have been recognised by the US, EU and Switzerland.
Besides exports, Khullar said, India is interested in promoting organic products in the domestic market and also for the sake of growth of sustainable agriculture in the country.
“We are not concerned about organic products only for exports, but also because environment-friendly farm practices will help achieve sustainable agriculture in the country,” he said.
He added that the government would soon take necessary steps in interests of the Indian grape exporters, who are facing losses of around Rs.273 crore as European authorities rejected 2,600 containers due to the presence of a chemical used to preserve the fruit.
On lifting the curbs on wheat exports, he said the ministry is considering the same after the Rabi season ends next month.
The government had banned exports of wheat in 2007 to increase its availability in the domestic markets.