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Export organic products

Certified organic grains, oilseeds, spices, tea and processed foods. Only NPOP certification lets you export as "organic".

Free, with conditionsHS Varies
HS code
Varies
Organic is a certification, not a tariff line — use the normal HS code of the product (for example 1006 for rice, 0910 for spices) and mark it organic on the documents.
Export policy
Free, with conditions
A product may be exported as organic only if it is certified under India’s National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) by an accredited certification body and traced on TraceNet. The product’s own export policy also applies (for example organic sugar is capped at 50,000 tonnes a year, DGFT Notification 51/2025-26).
Registrations
5
IEC, GST and those below
India’s exports, 2025-26
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What is exported

India produced about 3.6 million tonnes of certified organic products in 2023-24 from 7.3 million hectares, and exported 2.61 lakh tonnes of organic food worth US$ 495 million. APEDA lists the USA, the EU, Canada, Great Britain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Vietnam, Australia, Japan and South Korea among the buyers. Oilseeds, cereals and millets, spices, tea and sugar products are the main categories.

Varieties, grades and forms

  • Organic oilseeds (soybean, flax, sesame)Large bulk category, mainly from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
  • Organic cereals and milletsRice (including basmati), wheat and millets.
  • Organic spices and teaTurmeric, ginger, pepper and Darjeeling/Assam tea.
  • Organic sugar products and processed foodsJaggery, cane sugar, purees and snacks.
  • Medicinal and aromatic plantsHerbs and botanicals for supplement makers.

Where it is grown or made

  • Madhya PradeshLargest certified area; soybean, wheat and pulses.
  • MaharashtraLargest producer of certified organic products; sugar, fruits, cotton.
  • Rajasthan and GujaratSeed spices, oilseeds, cotton.
  • Sikkim, Uttarakhand and the North-EastLarge cardamom, ginger, turmeric (Lakadong), millets and herbs.

Export packing

  • Same packing as the conventional product, but organic lots must be kept and labelled separately at every step.
  • Each shipment needs a transaction certificate traced on APEDA’s TraceNet from the NPOP-accredited certification body.

Who buys abroad

  • Organic ingredient importers in the USA and EU
  • Natural-food brands and organic supermarket chains in Europe, Canada and Australia
  • Supplement and herbal-product makers

The quality buyers ask for

Production standard
NPOP standards for export from India; plus the buyer market’s organic rules (EU, USDA NOP, Canada, UK)
Traceability
Every lot traced on APEDA’s TraceNet from farm to export, with a transaction certificate
Residues
Buyers test for pesticide residues; any detectable residue can trigger an investigation and loss of organic status
Handling
Separate storage and processing from conventional goods; only permitted fumigation and cleaning methods
Product quality
The same physical specs as conventional product (moisture, purity, grade) apply on top of organic rules

Certificates

  • NPOP certificationRequiredCertification by an accredited certification body is required to export any product as organic.
  • TraceNet transaction certificateRequiredIssued through TraceNet for each export lot.
  • USDA NOPOften askedProducts sold as organic in the USA need certification to the USDA organic standard by a USDA-accredited body.
  • EU organic and certificate of inspectionOften askedOrganic imports into the EU need a certificate of inspection in the EU TRACES system; confirm how your certifier is recognised for the EU.
  • APEDA RCMCRequiredRegistration with APEDA, issued as an RCMC on the DGFT portal. Since 15 Sep 2026, a consignment up to ₹3 lakh FOB can go without it.
  • FSSAI licenceRequiredCentral licence from FSSAI for the premises where the food is packed or stored for export. Apply on FoSCoS.

Shipping, storage and shelf life

Container load

Same loads as the conventional product; containers must be clean and free of prohibited fumigant residues.

How it travels

Sea freight for bulk; air for samples and high-value herbs.

Storage

Separate, labelled storage; pest control only with methods the organic standard allows.

Shelf life

As for the conventional product.

What goes on the pack and carton

  • India Organic logo only on NPOP-certified product, with the certification body’s name or code.
  • EU: the EU organic logo, control body code and “Non-EU Agriculture” origin statement on retail packs; USA: the USDA organic seal only with NOP certification.
  • Bulk bags and cartons: product and grade, crop year, lot number, net and gross weight, “Product of India”, exporter name and the buyer’s shipping marks, matching the invoice and packing list exactly.
  • Lot or batch number on every pack and bag — FSSAI’s Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020 require it, and every importing country uses it to trace and recall.
Where to get it tested

Use laboratories authorised for organic products on APEDA’s list of recognised laboratories (apeda.gov.in → Quality → Recognised Organisations), or NABL-accredited labs with multi-residue methods in scope (nabl-india.org). Your certification body may name the labs it accepts.

Benefits of exporting this product

Where to register

  • APEDA (NPOP / TraceNet)Certification of farms, processing and trading under NPOP by an APEDA-accredited certification body, with every lot recorded on TraceNet and a transaction certificate for each export.npop.apeda.gov.in ↗
  • APEDARegistration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) for APEDA-scheduled products. Apply on the DGFT portal after you have your IEC.dgft.gov.in ↗
  • FSSAIFood business licence. FSSAI rules put food exporters under the Central licence; apply on FoSCoS and keep it valid for the premises you pack from.foscos.fssai.gov.in ↗

Quality and checks

  • Zero or near-zero pesticide residues; buyers test every lot and a single detection can cost the organic status of the lot.
  • EU and Switzerland recognise NPOP for unprocessed plant products (APEDA). EU organic import rules are changing under Regulation (EU) 2018/848 — confirm with APEDA and the buyer which certificate is valid for your shipment date.
  • USA: India has no organic recognition arrangement with the USDA, so US buyers need USDA organic (NOP) certification from a USDA-accredited certifier.
How to start small

Work with an FPO or grower group that already holds NPOP group certification, and get your own trader certification from an accredited body. Start with an organic spice, millet or pulse lot to a European or Gulf buyer. Conversion of new land takes years, so do not promise organic volumes you cannot trace.

Where new exporters go wrong

  • Selling conventional produce as organic, or mixing lots — certificates get suspended and the EU has delisted certifiers in the past for such failures.
  • Assuming an NPOP certificate works in the USA — it does not.

Documents this product needs

Schemes that apply

Sources (5)
  1. APEDA — Organic Products (NPOP, production, exports and buyers)
  2. APEDA — NPOP portal
  3. APEDA — TraceNet
  4. DGFT Notification 51/2025-26 (29 Dec 2025) — export of organic sugar
  5. USDA AMS — Organic international trade arrangements

Step by step

How to export organic products

APEDA reports India ranks second in the world for organic farmland and first for the number of organic producers. Its organic exports are led by oilseeds and oilseed meals, cereals and millets, sugar, spices, tea, plantation crops and herbs, going mainly to the USA, the EU, Canada, the UK and Switzerland. Competitors include China, Turkey, Latin America and East Africa. Buyers pay a premium but check paperwork and residues closely; the openings are certified spices, tea, rice, herbs and processed organic foods with full traceability.

  1. 01Choose a certification body

    Pick an NPOP-accredited body that can also certify to your buyer’s market standard.

  2. 02Convert and certify

    Farms go through a conversion period; grower groups need an internal control system.

  3. 03Record everything on TraceNet

    Farm, harvest, purchase, processing and sale entries must match, lot by lot.

  4. 04Test before shipping

    Test each lot for residues; a positive result abroad can block the whole supply chain.

  5. 05Get the transaction certificate

    Request the TC through TraceNet and, for the EU, the certificate of inspection in TRACES.

  6. 06Ship

    Use clean containers, file the shipping bill and send organic documents with the shipping set.

  7. 07Get paid and close the file

    Send the original documents through your bank (or to the buyer if paid in advance). Once the money arrives, get the e-BRC and claim RoDTEP and drawback where they apply.

Meet buyers

Trade fairs

Questions

Questions about exporting organic products

Does NPOP certification let me sell organic in the USA?
No. The USA requires certification to the USDA organic standard by a USDA-accredited body — check USDA AMS for the current position.
How long does conversion take?
Usually two years for annual crops and three for perennial crops under NPOP, unless the certifier accepts records for a shorter period.
Can a trader export organic produce?
Yes, but the trader must also be certified as a handler and every purchase must be recorded on TraceNet.
Why are organic shipments rejected?
Pesticide residues, broken traceability or paperwork errors in the transaction certificate.
Is organic worth the cost?
For spices, tea, herbs, rice and oilseeds sold to the EU and USA, the premium usually covers certification — if you can keep residues out.
Sources (5)
  1. APEDA — Organic Products (NPOP, India’s rank, exports)
  2. APEDA — NPOP portal
  3. APEDA — TraceNet
  4. USDA AMS — Organic international trade arrangements
  5. APEDA — Recognised organisations (list of recognised laboratories, FSMS bodies)

Who buys Indian organic products

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