Andhra Pradesh State Organic Products Certification Authority

IndG.A.P. certification

Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) :

A systematic approach which aims at applying available knowledge to address environmental, economic & social sustainability dimensions for on farm production & post production process, resulting in safe & quality food & non food agricultural products

India Good Agricultural Practices :

Quality Council of India (QCI) came up with a voluntary certification scheme – IndG.A.P
IndG.A.P. provides a mechanism which gives direction to introduce quality in the production system to ensure food safety and hygiene thereby increasing acceptability of the produce by consumers and food processing industry.

Benefits :

Promote sustainable agriculture (national & international environment and social development objectives)
Production of safe food at primary production
Promote hygiene, quality and food safety
Increase farm value (better price realization)
Guaranteed new markets
Increase farmer’s skill in farming operations
Helps to increase the compliance with the national and international standards of the chemical, microbiological and physical contamination hazards.

Certification Categories :

The APSOPCA will perform the GAP certification based on Control Points and Compliance Criteria (CPCC) issued under IndG.A.P. scheme to certify the GAP products for direct human consumption or for further processing for human consumption by food industry. The following are different sub-scopes under which different crops are certified.

1 . Fruits and Vegetables :

IndG.A.P. certification covers fruit and vegetables used for fresh, cooked, or processed. Fruit andVegetables for the purpose of IndG.A.P. certification is defined in the list below.

The range of products can be defined as: products originating from plants which are commonly designated as producing either “fruit”, “vegetables”, “edible roots”, “bulbs”, “tubers”, “nuts”, “spices” or “herbs” (1), for fresh, cooked or processed consumption by humans.
Herbs includes Aniseed, Balm, Basil, Borage, Caraway, Catnip, Chamomile, Chervil, Chicory, Chives, Coriander, Dill, Fennel, Laurel, Lavender, Lemon grass, Lovage, Marjoram, Mizuna, Nettle, Oregano, Parsley, Peppermint, Rocket, Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Sorrel, Spearmint, Tarragon, Thyme
It does not include medicinal herbs or herbs used solely for their aromatic purposes.

2 . Combinable Crops :

Covers extensive crops for cooked or processed consumption by humans or animals or for use in the industry e.g. cereals, pulses. Combinable Crops for the purpose of IndG.A.P. certification are defined in the list below.

The range of products can be defined as: products originating from extensive production systems, whose are commonly designated as producing either “grain”, “pulses”, “fodder” or “extracts” (oil, sugar, starch, etc.), for cooked or processed consumption by humans or animals, or for use in industry. Other descriptions for this type of product are “Broad-acre Crops”, “Bulk Crops” or “Arable Crops”.

3 . Coffee (green) - Green Coffee Beans :

4 . Tea - Tea (Camellia sinensis) :

5 . Spices

The crops which are listed by Spice Board and traded as spices are included as spices, however for easy understanding if the product is used in fresh form after harvest for immediate consumption by end consumer, then MRL of that form and F&V module will be applicable.

Certification Options for IndG.A.P. Certification:

1 . Option 1 (Individual Certification)

a . Multisite without implementation of QMS
Individual producer or one organization owns several production locations or Production Management Units (PMUs) that do not function as separate legal entities, applies and gets certification without implementation of Quality Management Systems (QMS).

b . Multisite with implementation of QMS
Individual producer or one organization owns several production locations or Production Management Units (PMUs) that do not function as separate legal entities, applies and gets certification with implementation of Quality Management Systems (QMS).

2 . Option 2 (Group certification)

The Scheme is open to all farmers/producers or organizations engaged in IndG.A.P. implementation who are legal entities in India.

Compliance levels for certification:

The producer is required to comply with three types of compliance criteria set out in the GAP standard. These are Critical, Major and minor, which must be fulfilled in all respects before certification

The level of compliance shall be established based on the following:
a. Critical : 100% compliance of all applicable critical control points
b. Major : 95% compliance of all major control points is compulsory
c. Minor : No minimum percentage compliance required

The applicant shall ensure that each individual site and product complies with the certification requirements. Thus, the compliance percentage shall be calculated taking into account all the control points applicable to each site and product.