NPOP organic certification in India, the process and the cost
NPOP is India's National Programme for Organic Production. How certification works, what it costs, the 8th edition standards and APEDA's role.
NPOP organic certification in India
NPOP, the National Programme for Organic Production, is the Government of India's organic certification programme. You need a certificate from an accredited third-party body to export Indian products as organic (PIB). For domestic organic food sales, FSSAI accepts NPOP or PGS-India, with an exemption for some small direct sellers (FSSAI FAQ).
What NPOP is and who runs it
The Department of Commerce launched NPOP in 2001 for exports of organic products, and APEDA acts as the secretariat (PIB, 27 July 2025). Grower group certification for small and marginal farmers followed in 2005. Third-party certification is mandatory for export.
FSSAI's Organic Foods Regulations 2017 define NPOP as the programme that implements the National Standards for Organic Production through third-party certification, as notified by the DGFT under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 (regulations compendium). The 8th edition sets out three tiers. The Department of Commerce sits at the top. A National Steering Committee sets policy and constitutes the National Accreditation Body (NAB). The NAB accredits and oversees the certification bodies.
APEDA organic certification means a certificate from an NAB-accredited body, not a certificate issued by APEDA. Apply to a body whose scope covers your activity.
NPOP standards in the 8th edition
Piyush Goyal launched the 8th edition on 9 January 2025, with a dedicated NPOP portal, the Organic Promotion Portal and TraceNet 2.0 (PIB release). These organic farming standards took effect in July 2025 (PIB, 9 December 2025).
The document is titled "National Programme for Organic Production, Eighth Edition 2024". It covers crop production, livestock and poultry, apiculture, aquaculture, processing and handling, animal feed, mushrooms and wild collection, plus seaweed, aquatic plants and greenhouse crops. APEDA also posts amendments and the "NPOP Procedures 2024" on its NPOP site.
Many older guides still cite the 7th edition (2014). Check the edition before you rely on one: the 8th edition replaced ICS-style grower groups with registered legal entities.
How to get organic certification under NPOP
Conversion period
The organic certification process starts with conversion. Under Reg. 3.1.3 of the 8th edition, annual and biennial crops need at least 2 years of organic management before sowing. For perennials other than grassland, the first harvest can be certified after at least 3 years. The certification body can extend or shorten that period based on past land use.
Reg. 3.1.4 allows a derogation. A previous period, up to the full conversion period, can count where documents cover at least 3 continuous years. PGS-India land can count for the 3 years just before, if no sanctions affected organic integrity. Notified natural areas in the Himalayan states and UTs and the North East can also count, if the notification and the 3-year record hold. The certification body has to check the papers.
Grower groups
Reg. 5.2 requires a grower group to be a registered legal entity: a society, an FPO or FPC under the Companies Act 2013, or a co-operative. Each member's land or unit must sit within a radius of 50 km, preferably in the same village or in adjacent villages. The group markets as one entity. A group has 25 to 500 farmers, or at least 10 for aquaculture.
Inspections and residue testing
Every operator gets at least one announced inspection a year (Reg. 4.4.1). The certification body also runs at least 10% additional inspections a year, picked by risk. Unannounced inspections must be at least 10% of the annual plus additional inspections, also by risk. It tests residue samples from at least 5% of operators every year, plus at least 2% of farmers in each grower group. The certification body pays for that mandatory 5% testing.
Scope and transaction certificates
The operator's certificate of organic products is the Scope Certificate. Each sale needs a Transaction Certificate. Both are issued through TraceNet, and for exports a provisional transaction certificate is generated before shipment.
TraceNet is APEDA's system for organic exports that meet NPOP or NOP standards. Operators, producer groups and certification bodies enter the data. The record runs forward and backward along the chain.
If certification is terminated
A terminated operator can reapply only after 2 years, and the producer must repeat the full conversion cycle (Reg. 4.4.2.5). A second termination means a 5-year bar.
What NPOP certification costs
NPOP doesn't set operator fees. Each certification body files its tariff with APEDA every year, or when the tariff changes, and must show it on its website and at its office (Reg. 4.3.5(ii)). APEDA lists those tariffs on its page of tariffs of accredited inspection and certification agencies. Fees vary by body. Compare a few before you sign. APEDA does not subsidise farmers who take up organic cultivation under NPOP (PIB).
Choosing a certification body
APEDA's register dated 13 October 2026 lists 42 certification bodies, with NPOP/NAB numbers, validity dates, scopes and zone limits. Five are marked suspended: NOCA, Sikkim State Organic Certification Agency, Global Certification Society, Reliable Organic Certification Organization and Krushi Certification. Some state bodies can work only in their own state. SGS has been restricted for new registrations since 9 February 2024.
Accreditation lasts 3 years (Reg. 4.3.6). Check scope, zone, suspension and the expiry date on the latest register before you sign.
Organic food certification under NPOP and PGS-India
FSSAI recognises two systems (FSSAI FAQ). NPOP is the Ministry of Commerce and Industry scheme. It uses third-party certification, and export needs that. PGS organic certification belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Local groups do the checks, and the certificate is for domestic sale only.
NPOP or PGS-India certification is a prerequisite for an FSSAI registration or licence to handle organic food (FAQ Q14). Small original producers or producer organisations that sell straight to the consumer are exempt if annual turnover does not exceed Rs 12 lakh (FAQ Q3).
Labelling under NPOP:
- A single-ingredient product that meets the standard can say "Organic".
- A multi-ingredient product with at least 95% certified organic ingredients can say "Certified Organic" (FSSAI FAQ Q4).
- From 70% up to, but below, 95%, the label may say "made with organic ingredients" and must state the proportion. It must not be called "Organic" (NPOP 3.5.7).
Labels carry Jaivik Bharat and may also carry the India Organic logo or the PGS-India logo (FAQ Q5 and Q6). In-conversion food sits outside the organic foods regulations and cannot use Jaivik Bharat (FAQ Q15 and Q16). The 8th edition introduced a unified India Organic logo that includes Jaivik Bharat (APEDA annual report 2024-25). The combined file is on APEDA's logo page.
Where NPOP certification is accepted abroad
| Market | Status |
|---|---|
| EU | Unprocessed plants and seeds or propagating material only |
| Switzerland | Crop standards recognised as equivalent |
| Great Britain | Crop standards accepted |
| USA | Recognition ended in 2021. USDA certification required |
| Taiwan | MRA in force since 8 July 2024 |
| Australia | MRA signed 24 September 2025 |
The EU lists India in Annex I of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2325 for category A (unprocessed plant products) and category F (vegetative propagating material and seeds), grown in India, with APEDA as the competent authority. Processed products are outside that recognition. Under Article 48(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 these recognitions expire on 31 December 2026. On 20 October 2026 the Council and Parliament reached a provisional deal to extend them to 31 December 2036. It is not yet adopted. Parliament's plenary is indicated for 23 November 2026.
APEDA says NPOP crop production standards are recognised as equivalent by the European Commission and by Switzerland, and accepted by Great Britain (PIB, 27 July 2025). For a processed product, use the EU category list, not that crop-standards line.
USDA's National Organic Program ended its recognition agreement with APEDA on 11 January 2021, and the transition closed on 12 July 2022 (USDA). Every operation in the supply chain now needs a USDA-accredited certifying agent, and each shipment needs an electronic NOP Import Certificate. India still requires a TraceNet transaction certificate for applicable exports. The APEDA-accredited certifier issues it per shipment, with a QR code. Products not on TraceNet, such as livestock, may use a paper certificate.
Taiwan accepts NPOP products that travel with a transaction certificate from an NPOP-accredited body, sold with the India Organic logo (PIB). The Australia agreement, signed on 24 September 2025, covers unprocessed plant products except seaweed, aquatic plants and greenhouse crops, plus processed plant foods and wine. APEDA and DAFF are the implementing agencies (PIB).
If you want the APEDA circulars and FSSAI rules behind these points with their source text, RegAffairs AI has a cited answer on NPOP certification.