Agmark
| Agmark | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Certifying agency | Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, Government of India |
| Effective region | India |
| Effective since | 1937, 1986 (amended) |
| Product category | Agricultural products |
| Legal status | Advisory |
| Website | agmarknet |
AGMARK is a certification mark employed on agricultural products in India, assuring that they conform to a set of standards approved by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection an attached Office of the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare under Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare an agency of the Government of India.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The AGMARK Head Office at Faridabad (Haryana) is legally enforced in India by the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act of 1937 (and amended in 1986).[1] The present AGMARK standards cover quality guidelines for 222 different commodities spanning a variety of pulses, cereals, essential oils, vegetable oils, fruits and vegetables and semi-processed products like vermicelli.[1]
Etymology
The term agmark was coined by joining the words 'Ag' to mean agriculture and 'mark' for a certification mark. This term was introduced originally in the bill presented in the parliament of India for the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act.[7]
The entire system of Agmark, including the name, was created by Archibald Macdonald Livingstone, Agricultural and Marketing Advisor to the Government of India, from 1934 to 1941. He was supported by a staff of several hundred. The system was designed to benefit local growers throughout India who were, in the absence of a certification as to quality, exposed to receiving less for their produce from dealers than its true worth.[8]
Agmark Laboratories
The Agmark certification is employed through fully state-owned Agmark laboratories located across the nation which act as testing and certifying centres. In addition to the Central AGMARK Laboratory (CAL) in Nagpur, there are Regional AGMARK Laboratories (RALs) in 11 nodal cities (Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Kanpur, Kochi, Guntur, Amritsar, Jaipur, Rajkot, Bhopal).[9] Each of the regional laboratories is equipped with and specializes in the testing of products of regional significance. Hence the product range that could be tested varies across the centres.[10]
Commodities and tests
The testing done across these laboratories include chemical analysis, microbiological analysis, pesticide residue, and aflatoxin analysis on whole spices, ground spices, ghee, butter, vegetable oils, mustard oil, honey, food grains (wheat), wheat products (atta, suji, and maida), gram flour, soybean seed, bengal gram, ginger, oil cake, NON edible oil, oils and fats, animal casings, meat and other food products.[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Directorate of Marketing and Inspection. 'Promotion of Standardisation and Grading of Agricultural and Allied Produce'". Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ ":: Ministry of Food Processing Industries ::". Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Slush and stench". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ K. Santhosh. "Nectar of kindness". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ Staff Reporter. "Minister inaugurates open auction system at market". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ National Institute of Open Schooling. 'Wise Buying.' Archived 2010-10-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937 (Act No. 1 of 1937) (as amended up to 1986)".
- ^ Archibald McDonald Livingstone 1890-1972, in conversation with 1970.
- ^ "ADDRESSES OF THE CENTRAL AGMARK LABORATORY AND REGIONAL AGMARK LABORATORIES". Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ a b "TESTING, RESEARCH AND STANDARDISATION FACILITIES". Retrieved 29 May 2015.