New District-Level Labs to Ensure Export-Quality Agricultural Produce Testing Efficiency

The Directorate of Industries has put forward a proposal to establish laboratories at the district level, aimed at certifying agricultural produce to facilitate their exportation from those districts.

According to a high-ranking official from the Directorate of Industries, these laboratories will be responsible for verifying that the agricultural products conform to the required standards of the destination countries for the exports.

The officer stated, "The laboratories are being established to assist farmers in obtaining certification for their agricultural produce, primarily focusing on major crops grown in the districts. The certification will be based on specific chemical presence parameters mandated by the destination countries. It should be noted that there is no universal test for the produce, as each country has its own unique set of parameters established by its government."

As part of efforts to encourage local producers to increase their exports, the department has implemented an exercise aimed at doubling the current export volume. Presently, farmers are required to seek out laboratories to obtain certification, which can be a time-consuming and costly process.

According to the officer, the establishment of laboratories through public-private partnerships will result in product certification and simplify the testing process. This, in turn, will lead to a faster turnaround time.

The officer mentioned that the exact cost of the laboratories is yet to be determined. However, he stated that as the government will also be overseeing the operations, the services provided will be charged reasonably to the end user. The establishment of these laboratories is expected to benefit the exports of products unique to a specific district, as well as those products that have been labeled with Geographical Indication.

The Industries Department has identified a total of 72 products under the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative. Among these, 50 products are related to agriculture while 22 are non-agricultural. Additionally, the department is collaborating with technical universities to implement marketing projects for these ODOP products. These projects aim to enhance product packaging, design, branding, and promotion.

In Maharashtra, there are currently 34 products that have been granted Geographical Indication (GI) status. Additionally, 16 products with the potential for obtaining GI status have been identified.

-TOI 

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