>Intertek, a leading international provider of quality and safety solutions, participated in BioFac 2010, which was held from December 7th-9th at the Bombay Exhibition Centre. This fair was organised as a joint effort from International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the Indian Ministry of Agriculture (NCOF), the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI), and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
India’s agriculture is traditionally organic and many farmers have been growing organic for many generations. Starting in 2001 the government developed the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) to provide an institutional mechanism for the implementation of National Standards for Organic Production.
To enforce and uphold organic production practices, a third-party certification process is required, which involves establishment of an organic system plan that details activities from the farm to the labelling of the finished product. Intertek is accredited to certify organic to the NPOP standard to support and endorse farms, orchards, natural harvest from forest areas, as well as the basic preparation, packing and processing of all these commodities.
Producers and growers from India and international suppliers met at BioFac to conduct business and to showcase their organic products. As Mumbai is one of the key economic centres of India with easy access for domestic and international trade buyers, it was chosen as the destination for the Exhibition. BioFac India together with India Organic is a business-to-business platform that offers trade visitor promotional activities targeting decision makers from sectors like food / beverages wholesale, non-food wholesale, import and export, etc.
“India is on its way to becoming a key market for organic products and we at Intertek are proud to be a part of BioFac 2010, where local and international sellers and buyers have come together,” said Mr. Rajesh Saigal, Managing Director, Intertek India.