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Hyderabad , Aug. 28

SPEAKERS at the seminar on EUREPGAP (European Retail Parties' Good Agricultural Practices) standards today called for the farming community and those involved in export of farm products to upgrade their standards so as to conform to the global market expectations.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Vadde Sobhanadreeshwara Rao, Minister for Agriculture, said the farmers in the State needed to follow the standards for sustaining the export potential.

EUREP, an organisation of 118 major growers, exporters and importers of food products in Europe, has formulated a set of standards, incorporating the concept of globally accepted `Good Agricultural Practices' (GAP).

With a view to creating awareness among the Indian farming community about "the harmful and inefficient agricultural practices, which not only makes farming unprofitable but also poses risk to sustainable development," the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), in association with Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), has taken up an `EUREPGAP Promotion Project'.

"This will give an impetus to introduction of GAP in India that will ultimately help the farming community to sell their products in the global market in general and European market in particular," a FICCI official said, explaining the concept of the project.

The project sought to train managers and workers on the requirements of EUREPGAP standards and demonstrate their implementation in select farms. "These farms will act as a model for large-scale application of these standards," he added.

"The cooperation between the FICCI and Norway aims at boosting exports by building confidence on the safety and quality of Indian agriculture produce. And this will be accomplished through certification of agricultural companies which confirm to internationally accepted GAP standards," the official said.

Meanwhile, a high-level team from the European Union would be deputed later this year to study the state of standards in the agricultural sector. The team will submit a report comprising a set of findings to the EU administration.

Mr S S R Koteswara Rao, President of FAPCCI, felt that the farmers in the State needed to implement the GAP standards to pep up exports of horticultural products.

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