Irregularities in Organic Certification! Penalty of ₹10 Lakh Imposed on Uttarakhand Agency

Questions are being raised over the certification of organic products, and even government agencies are now under scrutiny. The Uttarakhand State Organic Certification Agency (USOCA) has once again landed in controversy. The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has imposed a penalty of ₹10 lakh on the agency. Additionally, USOCA has been barred from certifying organic products outside Uttarakhand.

This action was taken under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) by the Sub-Committee of the National Accreditation Body (NAB). APEDA has also issued a circular regarding this decision.

Highly placed sources told Rural Voice that the decision followed complaints of non-compliance and irregularities in the certification process. APEDA conducted an audit of several producer groups associated with USOCA, which revealed serious lapses. Based on these findings, the penalty of ₹10 lakh was imposed.

The audit found that USOCA had issued certificates without proper verification to several groups. Some of these groups were using chemical fertilizers instead of organic manure, and many of their registered farmer members were fake or non-existent. Such widespread irregularities were detected in the agency’s certification process.

USOCA is a wing of the Uttarakhand State Seed and Organic Production Certification Agency, which provides third-party certification of organic production. Established in 2001, it was India’s first government-backed organic certification agency, but it now finds itself mired in controversy.

Once authorized to operate in over 22 states, the agency can now function only within Uttarakhand. Despite earlier warnings, USOCA’s functioning has shown little improvement, according to officials. 

A history of controversies

In 2023, USOCA faced similar allegations after an APEDA-led audit uncovered multiple discrepancies. The agency was served a notice and fined ₹5 lakh in March this year. Its zone of operation was restricted to only Uttarakhand for severe non-compliances in the certification process under NPOP.  Irregularities were also found in the certification of cotton products.

Questions over organic certification credibility

Agriculture expert Dr Rajendra Prasad Kuksal remarked that the penalty and restrictions imposed by the central government expose the poor state of agricultural governance in Uttarakhand. He questioned, “If agencies barred from operating in other states continue to handle organic certification within Uttarakhand, how can fake certifications be prevented?”

Uttarakhand Congress spokesperson Pankaj Singh Chhetri also questioned the role of the state government and the agriculture department, saying the state has turned a blind eye to persistent complaints of fraud and irregularities in organic certification. “The penalty imposed on the state agency exposes the hollow claims of making Uttarakhand a fully organic state,” he added.