Indian Farms To Adopt European Standards Soon

The Indian Express
March 17, 2005

The implementation of the European retail chain standards in horticulture farms in the country is likely to keep growers off transgenic crops.

The set of standards called Eurepgap clearly specifies that planting of any genetically modified (GM) crop should be in accordance with the regulations in vogue in Europe. European consumers have not accepted GM food. If the country has to boost its exports of horticulture produce to Europe, absolute adherence to Eurepgap standards is necessary, said project officials. Eurepgap standards are being implemented as a project in India by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) in collaboration with Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (Norad).

Already 200 grape farms in Nasik in Maharashtra and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh have opted for compliance with these standards. Plans are afoot to cover mango orchards in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, litchi farms in Uttaranchal, banana farms in Maharashtra and horticulture growers in Punjab.

On March 15, awareness programme was launched in Jalandhar in Punjab to educate 150 farmers. State governor Gen SF Rodrigues, inaugurating the awareness camp, assured farmers that their produce will be marketed by the state co-operative agency, Markfed which will subsequently take up the work of standardisation, grading and exports. He said that farmers only have to implement the standards at farm level and need not worry further.

The Punjab Agriculture University will host a website exclusively for rendering market intelligence. Gen Rodrigues' assurance pacified farmers to a certain extent who had earlier bitter experiences of contract farming with Pepsi and HLL. Jalandhar is a horticulture district of Punjab, said Lt Gen. H Lal, director of Ficci Quality Forum. This district is famous for growing potatoes. "It is for this reason that we thought of launching our project here," he said.

Lt Gen Lal hoped that after Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, Punjab will be next to repeat the success story. He said, "We began this process of certification in 2004. Our efforts are bearing fruit. In 2003, 21 grape consignments to Europe were rejected on quality norms. After the implementation of Eurepgap norms in 2004, only one grape consignment to Europe was rejected."

He said that Eurepgap had already designated certifying agencies for India. They are - Food Cert India, Hyderabad, SGS, Mumbai and ICL, Chandigarh.

Eurepgap is a set of European retail chain standards set up by a body of 118 major growers, exporters and importers of food products. This body of European growers, exporters and importers is called the European Retail Parties (Eurep). It ensures global partnership for safe and sustainable agriculture incorporating good agricultural practices (GAP). Eurepgap standard specifies the use of chemical fertilisers. Only those chemical fertilisers which are permitted for use in Europe are allowed to be used under it. Use of raw untreated human sludge is prohibited for use as manure. Untreated sewage water is not used in irrigation. Growers have to undertake annual auditing and comply with traceability norms.

(Travel for this story was sponsored by Ficci)