APEDA extends deadline for 100% physical verification of organic farmers till July 3

• Manish Kumar
• 08 May 2026
• 17 Views

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has extended the deadline to 3 July 2023 for 100% mandatory physical verification of Indian farmers engaged in cultivation of organic crops in all growers’ group.

This is the second extension provided for the farmers physical verification, which commenced on 3 November 2025. In a communication, the Authority stated that it received requests from the stakeholders for the deadline’s extension so they could complete the process. 

The stakeholders were facing challenges due to network issues, difficulties updating farmer records and many farmers were traveling for work. According to APEDA’s communication, “The representations and requests were examined, and it has been decided to extend the deadline for completion of the farmer verification process.”

According to Mr. Abhishek Dev, who is the current APEDA Chairman, the initial 3-month deadline was set for this process. So far, the verification process has been completed by about 52% of the farmers. 

What will happen if farmers fail to complete verification by 3 July?

It has been made clear by the Authority that once the 3 July deadline expires, farmers without verification won’t be able to use the TraceNet system. This means they will be unable to conduct any operations, including yield updates and sourcing from their lots. According to the Authority, the farmer groups that have verified less than 20% of their members must ensure that at least 50% of the verification process is completed by 3 June. 

If they do not meet this requirement, they will not receive a Transaction Certificate starting 4 June. This restriction will remain in effect until the group completes the verification of 100% of its farmers before the 3 July deadline.

Considerations during Physical Verification

Farmers must be present on-site for the physical verification process and should have all their documents, registers, farm maps and land records with them. According to the Authority, it is necessary to make sure that there are no errors in farmer's name or their other details when identifying them with the help of their Aadhaar card. In case of any discrepancies, the same must be reported to APEDA or the TraceNet team on an immediate basis. 

It is mandatory to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for new registrations of organic farmers, renewal of SCOPE Certificates (certificates of compliance with regulations) and changes to the verification agency. 

Each and every farmer group must hire a manager who has a comprehensive understanding of the internal control system for organic farming. Additionally, the group must be registered under either the Companies Act or the Cooperative Society Act. The group must have an approval committee consisting of three members.

Also Read: Key Functions and Responsibilities of APEDA

Monitoring of Agencies by APEDA & Verification-related Costs

APEDA is tracking the work of the certification agencies. Agencies that work at a slow pace will face fines and their certificates may be revoked, according to GaonJunction. The maximum verification fee will be decided by APEDA. However, the farmer groups will have to bear the inspection team’s travel and accommodation expenses. 

As per an industry source, the entire process, including fees and travel, can cost up to Rs. 2 lakhs for a farmer group. For many groups, this expense is a major burden and can result in delays in work. 

In the month of July in 2022, the government had informed Lok Sabha that, in India, there are about 2.5 million farmers who are engaged in organic farming. As of 29 July 2025, the government reported that there are 1,929,243 certified organic farmers registered in 4,712 active organic farmer groups across the country.

Source: GaonJunction (Amar Ujala)