Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday directed National Cooperative Organic Ltd (NCOL) to strengthen quality control and establish fair pricing for its "Bharat Organics" brand as the government seeks to expand organic farming nationwide.
Shah urged Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) to integrate with the organic mission and called for mandatory quality testing of all products under the Bharat Organics label.
"Farmers should receive a fair price for their organic produce so that they are motivated to promote organic farming," Shah said during a review meeting with NCOL officials.
The ministry, in collaboration with NCOL, plans to work with the dairy cooperative Amul to establish pricing mechanisms for organic flour and pulses that would incentivise farmers to transition to organic farming methods.
Shah emphasised the importance of building a robust farm-to-consumer supply chain for authentic organic products, directing NCOL to implement batch-wise testing protocols to ensure product purity, according to an official statement.
He also called for leveraging existing dairy networks, with plans to encourage farmers associated with Amul and the National Dairy Development Board to adopt organic farming practices.
The minister also advocated for increased promotion of organic products during upcoming festivals, anticipating heightened consumer demand with growing awareness. Minister of State for Cooperatives Muralidhar Mohol, Cooperation Secretary Ashish Kumar Bhutani, NCOL Chairman and Managing Director Minesh Shah, and NABARD Chairman Shaji KV were present at the meeting.
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