Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, November 14 2021: Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has cancelled the license of OneCert Asia Agri Certification Private Limited, Jaipur for one year and it is likely to impact the export and product certification of organic products of the state as the organic products of the state produced under MOMA are certified by the same agency.
Organic products of the state certified by OneCert are sold in different parts of the state as well as other countries by Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA).
The agency had certified first year and second year organic scope certificates, and steps are being taken up for third year certification process.
APEDA has suspended the accreditation of the certifying agency for a year, while barring four other agencies from registering any new processor or exporter for organic products certification.
The authority has also imposed fines on the five firms.
APEDA's decision, made on October 20, follows developments in the European Union where the European Commission (EC) issued a draft notification to blacklist five agencies from certifying organic products exports from India as some shipments cleared by them failed to meet the norms for minimum presence of ethylene oxide (ETO).
APEDA, which is the competent authority to supervise organic certification, found OneCert being the certifying agency in case of four exporters whose organic sesame, hulled sesame, white sesame, amaranth and flax seeds shipments were found flouting the ETO minimum presence norm.
OneCert was fined Rs 5 lakh, while the others were asked to pay a penalty of Rs 2 lakh each.
The four have also been rated under the high risk category.
Trade sources said APEDA seemed to have come down strongly on OneCert since over 25 complaints of irregularities had been received from the EU.
They also called for a higher penalty so that the agencies would be more careful in clearing organic consignments in future.
Mention may be made that OneCert certifies allthe organic products of the state which include Chak-hao, ginger, Tamenglong Orange, turmeric, Kachai lemon, pineapple, U-Morok, etc.