What is IndG.A.P?
India Good Agriculture Practices (IndG.A.P) is a certification scheme developed by The Quality Council of India (QCI) to strengthen Good Agricultural Practices in India. This scheme is compliant with ISO/IEC 17065:2012, the international standard for product, process, and service certification requirements. IndG.A.P takes into account both the domestic and international markets and provides a mechanism that directs farms, regardless of size or resources, to introduce quality in their production system to ensure food safety and hygiene, thereby increasing the acceptability of their produce by consumers and the food processing industry.
In addition to addressing the quantity and quality of produce from a unit area, IndG.A.P also focuses on pre- and post-harvest procedures, worker health and safety, and ensuring a consistent supply of produce of the desired quality. Although IndG.A.P’s scope encompasses all agricultural produce, it is designed to cater to small and marginal farmers by creating certification criteria that meet their needs and enable them to take a phased approach to international GAP whereas for the bigger farmers and large farms IndGAP certification criteria has been designed, which they can go for straight away adoption.
The main components of this standard are base modules and crops base modules:
General Modules
- All farm base module
- Crops base Module
- Agro-Biodiversity Module
- Produce Specific Modules
- Fresh fruits and vegetable
- Combinable crops
- Tea
- Green Coffee
- Spices
Why IndG.A.P ?
Adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in India will ensure the following benefits:
- Adoption of GAP helps promote sustainable agriculture and contributes to meeting national and international environment and social development objectives.
- Appropriate adoption and monitoring of GAP help in improving the safety and quality of food and other agricultural products. It is expected to help in increased compliance to national and international regulations, standards and guidelines regarding use of permitted pesticides, maximum levels of contaminants (including pesticides, veterinary drugs and mycotoxins) as well as other chemical, microbiological and physical contamination hazards
- Many retailers and food service buyers now are increasingly demanding GAP certified material as a prerequisite for procurement.
- If farmers in the region opt for hygiene and food safety in their production system through Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), they will enjoy access to guaranteed new markets, have reliable quality inputs, will increase farm value and increase farmer’s skill in farming operations in domestic as well as in the global markets.
Certification Process
