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 more directly protect organic integrity. As such, AMS has informed India’s 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 starts 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.
If you are an organic business buying from an organic supplier certified by an APEDA-accredited certifier, communicate with those suppliers about the need to apply for NOP certification to a USDA-accredited certifier by July 12, 2021, to continue their business with you. After July 12, to continue accepting products from those suppliers, you will need to use the Organic Integrity Database to verify that any organic supplier is already certified or has applied for organic certification with a USDA-accredited certifier. Further updates will be posted here: https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification/international-trade/India.