How Organic Certification Works in India

India recognises two main organic certification systems, NPOP and PGS-India, built for different scales of farming and using genuinely different verification methods to reach the same underlying standard.

The two systems

NPOP, the National Programme for Organic Production, uses accredited third party certification bodies and is common for larger scale and export oriented farming.
PGS-India, the Participatory Guarantee System, uses peer review among groups of farmers, administered through the Ministry of Agriculture, suited to smaller and marginal farms.
Both require documented practices, restricted inputs and some form of verification, just through different mechanisms.
A product certified under either system can carry the Jaivik Bharat logo, covered in more detail elsewhere in this guide.
Which system a farm uses often depends on its scale and whether it is producing primarily for export or the domestic market.

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Our standards

Organic certification questions

Is one certification system better than the other?: They are built for different scales of farming rather than one being superior. Both lead to the same underlying organic standard.
Which system suits small farmers better?: PGS-India, since its peer review approach is generally more accessible and affordable than NPOP's third party audit process.
Can a product carry both certifications?: It is uncommon, since a farm typically chooses one system suited to its scale rather than pursuing both simultaneously.
Does certification need to be renewed?: Yes, organic certification under either system requires ongoing compliance and periodic reverification, not a one time approval.

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