Amreli APMC to get ISO 9001

Amreli's Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), also known as the Amreli Marketing Yard, is all set to bag the ISO 9001 certification. This would make it the first APMC in the country to be certified with ISO 9001.

"Amreli APMC's approach has always been customer-centric and the ISO 9001 certification is a step further in that direction," said P P Sojitra, president of Amreli APMC.

"There is going to be a final audit of Amreli APMC on October 8 and after that ISO 9001 certification will be granted to Amreli APMC," he added.

Established in 1954, the Amreli APMC facilitates trading of various commodities including cotton, groundnut, foodgrains, cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables and is accessed by around 55,000 farmers residing across 672 villages of Amreli district.

The Amreli APMC registered an annual turnover of Rs 146 crore last year. The ISO 9001 certification, according to officials, would help farmers arriving with their produce sell their wares immediately.

"The Amreli APMC, by and large, acts as a co-ordinator between farmers and traders where their core concern is to safeguard the interests of their customers. So, definitely a system in place is required," said Bharat Mistry, ISO Certification Consultant for Amreli APMC.

For a system which can assure value to their customers, justify the sale of their produce by letting them avail of the right price for their produces and provide them basic facilities.