In India, several Acts and Orders are in force for implementation with a view to protect the consumer against adulteration and unfair practices. AGMARK acts as a “third party” guarantee for the agricultural products that are produced and consumed in India. The system traces its origin to 1934, where Archibald MacDonald Livingstone, Agricultural and Marketing Advisory to the Government of India, suggested that this certification come into force to benefit the local growers and prevent undue exploitation by the dealers of the produce. The starting point of quality control in India was the enactment of Agricultural Produce (Grading & Marking) Act, AGMARK,1937.

Agricultural Produce (Grading & Marking) Act, 1937 provides for the grading and marking of agricultural and other produce. The term AGMARK was coined by joining the words ‘Ag‘ to mean agriculture and ‘Mark’ for a certification mark. AGMARK, or Agriculture Mark, is the certification mark to assure the quality of agricultural products in India.

The Act empowers the Central Government to make Rules for :

(a) Fixing grade designations to indicate quality of any scheduled article.

(b) Defining the quality indicated by every grade designation, and             

(c) Specifying grade designation marks to represent particular grade designation.

AGMARK

It is a quality certificate that labels a product pure and of necessary quality as per guidelines specified by a governing body. It acts as a third-party guarantee for agricultural products consumed in India. The quality of an agricultural commodity is based on its intrinsic merit, and these standards are devised keeping in mind International laws and specifications so that we comply with the WTO requirements.

Objective of AGMARK Grading Scheme

The main objective is to provide consumers with quality, unadulterated products. The grading can be used for both domestic and export purposes.

Features of AGMARK

• This is issued by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, of the Government of India for agricultural products.
• It covers quality guidelines for more than 200 different Commodities ranging from pulses to cereals, from essential oils to semi-processed food like vermicelli.
• The head office is in Faridabad.
• The central AGMARK Laboratory is in Nagpur and 11 state owned AGMARK labs are found in 11 nodal cities.
• It is legally enforceable as per the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act of 1937 (amended in 1986).
• The application processes are done online via the platform created by the National Informatic Centre (NIC).
• The standards for AGMARK are framed based on the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, and the International Organisation for Standardization.
• AGMARK certification is voluntary except for edible vegetable oils and fat spread which is mandatory as per FSSAI Regulations, 2006.

Advantage of AGMARK

An agricultural product gains advantages and legal importance thanks to the AGMARK registration.
AGMARK registration provides the consumer with assurance regarding the product’s organic integrity and quality.
These standards are compliant with WTO rules (World Trade Organisation). As a result, the AGMARK certification aids a product’s ability to compete in global marketplaces.
Agriculture products that have successfully completed the AGMARK registration process are given subsidies by the government. As a result, farmers benefit from it.

STANDARDIZATION AND GRADING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES

1.Grading provides description of the quality of the consignment and assists in the formation of a legally binding agreement.

2. It facilitates proper marketing of agricultural commodities.

3. It also ensures that agricultural commodities move through the market faster and without obstructions.

4.This also facilitates transactions without physical verification by the distant buyers.

Advantages of Grading

1.It brings confidence between the buyer and the seller.

2.It facilitates interstate and international marketing. 

3. Disputes in the market can be solved in a good manner.

4.  Stability of the price is ensured.

5.Farmers can take loans easily from the banks on the basis of grades of produce.

6.Arbitrary fixation of price by middlemen is eliminated.

7.Brings about improvement of the crop.

8.Reduces risk of producer and seller in transactions.

9.Future marketing is facilitated. Grades become a commercial measure of quality.

10.It also helps in implementation of contract farming.

Formulation of Grade Standards

 Standards of agricultural commodities are framed in a scientific way. Basically it involves the following steps.

• Agricultural commodity for which grade standards are to be framed is selected keeping in view national priority, necessity and demand.
• A sampling plan is prepared based on the areas in which the commodity is grown, processed and traded.
• Physical and chemical parameters to determine the purity and quality of the commodity are identified.
• Samples of the commodity are collected by the field offices from growing areas, whole sale and retail markets as per the sampling plan.
• The samples are analysed in the Regional Agmark Laboratories and Central Agmark Laboratory for the identified parameters.
• Analytical data obtained is statistically analysed and Central Agmark Laboratory suggests the limits of various quality parameters for different grades.
• The specifications of the commodity prescribed in Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules, 1955 and international standards viz. Codex Alimentarius Commission, ISO, etc. are consulted.
• The relevant Committee on Agmark standards discusses the draft standards with trade, industry and consumer organizations.
• Preliminary Grading & Marking Rules for the Commodity are drafted and are vetted by the Ministry of Law & Justice, translated into Hindi and published in the Gazette of India for inviting comments and suggestions from all stake holders.
•  The comments/suggestions received are considered and final notification is drafted, vetted by the Ministry of Law & Justice, translated into Hindi and published in the Gazette of India.

STANDARDIZATION AND GRADING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES

Following Commodities on Agmark standards have been constituted: 1. Food grains and Allied Products. 2. Oils Seeds, Vegetable Oils & Dairy Products. 3. Essential Oils. 4. Spices and Condiments. 5. Fruits and Vegetables. 6. Other Commodities.

GRADING AND CERTIFICATION of AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES

1. Promotion of standardization and grading of agricultural and allied produce is one of the important activities of the Directorate of Marketing & Inspection.
2. Grading is carried out in accordance with the standards notified.
3. It serves a means of describing the quality of commodities to be purchased or sold by the buyers or sellers all over the country and abroad.
4. This also establishes a common trade language and avoids the need for physical checking and handling at many points.
5. The system of grading and certification benefits both the sellers and buyers in view of the fact that the producer get the price with the quality produced by him and consumer gets a quality product in turn of money spent.
6. Grading and certification activities can be broadly classified into (i) Grading and Certification for Internal Trade (ii) Grading and Certification for Exports.

Documents to be given along with application

1. Sketch of the premises

2. Declaration regarding i. Proprietorship/Partnership etc ii. Ownership of the premises iii. Ownership of trade brand label iv. Use of good grade quality containers for packing commodities. All declarations have to give by notary public.

3. A copy of licence from Panchayat/Municipality.

4. Bank reference: – Letter from the bank regarding the transaction to the packer with the bank.

5. List of machineries.

6. Specimen signature of authorised persons attested by the proprietor/managing partner.

7. Medical fitness certificate of employee.

8. Specimen copy and sketch of trade brand label

• Consumers not satisfied with the quality of agricultural produce certified under Agmark, can make a complaint to the Agricultural Marketing Adviser giving full particulars regarding Agmark label/replica serial number, lot no., date of packing, best before date, trade brand, name and address of the authorized packer and the name and address of the seller. Whenever the complaint is found to be genuine, action as deemed fit will be taken against the concerned authorized packer as per provision in APGM Act-1937.

Benefits of AGMARK

• Farmers are befitted as the state offers more subsidies to those products that carry the mark.
• Marketing of the product finds a boost.
• The quality of the product is sustained by virtue of statutory compliances.

Difference Between FSSAI and AGMARK

• The primary difference between the FSSAI and AGMARK is that AGMARK works as a certification while FSSAI is a government agency that works on food control. AGMARK works exclusively for agricultural products whereas FSSAI licensing covers almost every food item, whether it is of agrarian origin or not. It covers all processes of food processing, from manufacturing to packaging
• FSSAI was a direct result of the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006, while AGMARK comes under the Agriculture Produce (Grading and Marketing) Act of India, 1937
• AGMARK certification deals with chemicals, microbiological experiments, pesticide residue, and aflatoxin levels. AGMARK is given only for the product and not for an individual farmer. As of now, 213 agricultural products come under AGMARK certification. FSSAI License is allotted for individual establishments. Every branch of a fast-food restaurant chain requires an FSSAI licence, even if all branches come under one franchise. FSSAI has three types of licences: basic, state and central.
• AGMARK is approved by the directorate of marketing and inspection which falls under the Department of Agriculture. FSSAI is a government authority of its own.

PENALITY:

Section	Concept	Penality
Sec.4	Penalty for unauthorised marking with grade designation mark.	6 Months & 5000-fine
Sec.5	Penalty for counterfeiting grade designation mark.	3 years & 5000-fine
Sec. 5 a	Penalty for selling migraded articles.—	6 Months & 5000-fine

Conclusion:

AGMARK is a Quality Certification Mark as a third-party guarantee to certified quality, which assures that the products conform to the standards laid down by the government of India is called Agmark certification. It is basically a voluntary certification for various agricultural food products but for some products, it has been made compulsory vide Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulation 2011. AGMARK certification assures that the product containing the Agmark is good in terms of quality and produced in hygienic condition thereby fit for human consumption. It is useful both for consumers and producers, marketers and traders. Food products where AGMARK has been made mandatory, along with a license or registration under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. It is mandatory for the Food Business Operators to print the AGMARK logo along with the certification number on the primary packaging material along with the FSSAI logo and FSSAI license/registration number on food items where AGMARK certification is mandatory.

Grade standards notified as per the provisions of the Act are popularly called AGMARK Standards. — These standards differentiate between quality and 2- 3 grades are prescribed for each commodity. — Different grades are prescribed based on intrinsic quality of the agricultural commodities and various other parameters related to cleanliness, extraneous matter, active components, etc.

Grades help farmers/traders to get prices for agricultural commodities on the quality produced by them. Consumers get the produce of the quality desired by them. Till date, grade standards for 205 agricultural commodities have been notified.These include cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables, creamery butter & ghee, vegetable oils, spices, honey, wheat atta, besan, etc.