Amul Foreys Into Organic Food Industry, Launches Whole Wheat Flour

Gujarat-based dairy cooperative society Gujrat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) Limited under its famous brand Amul has launched its first organic product whole wheat flour. The company said that it will move to roll out other organic products such as pulses and rice.

“On advice of Home and Co-operative Minister Amit Shah, Amul launched its first organic product, Amul Organic Wheat Atta. This product was launched by Chairman - Amul Dairy, Ramsinh Prabhatsinh Parmar and Board of Directors. The company is also setting up five organic testing labs to provide affordable testing for farmers,” the company said in a tweet.

The prime objective of the company is to help its customers embark on a mission to a more sustainable and healthier lifestyle.

The organic products will not only reduce our chemical intake, but also leads us towards a healthier tomorrow, the company said in a statement.

According to the company, the organic wheat flour will be available in two pack sizes - 1 kg for INR 60 and 5 kg for INR 290, and has been launched at Amul Parlors and leading retail stores across Gujarat. Consumers can also purchase it online from amulorganic.org for home delivery across Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Pune.

GCMMF reported a provisional turnover of INR 46,500 crore In 2021-22.

Organic atta is being manufactured at Tribhuvan Das Patel Mogar Food Complex. This facility also processes several other Amul products like Amul Chocolates, Amul cookies.

Addressing media, GCMMF MD RS Sodhi said they are in the process of developing a pool of organic farmers and replicate their existing milk model in the organic sourcing.

“Currently the major challenge for the farmers is unavailability of market linkage for organic products and high cost of organic testing facilities. Therefore, along with creation of market linkage for organic farmers, Amul is in process of setting up of organic testing laboratories at five locations across India equipped with the advanced technologies to minimise the testing cost,” he said.

He said that the first lab is being established at the AmulFed Dairy in Ahmedabad and subsequently the other five labs will come up at various location across India.

What Are Organic Products?

These products are grown under a system without using any man-made chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This is a method of farming that works at grass root level preserving the reproductive and regenerative capacity of the soil. Good plant nutrition, and sound soil management produces nutritious food rich in vitality which has resistance to diseases.

India is bestowed with lot of potential to produce all varieties of organic products due to its various agro climatic conditions. In several parts of the country, the inherited tradition of organic farming is an added advantage. This holds promise for the organic producers to tap the market which is growing steadily in the domestic and export sector.

According to FIBL and IFOAM—research institute of organic agriculture, India ranks at 8th in terms of World’s Organic Agricultural land and 1st in terms of total number of producers as per 2020.

National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP)

This programme involves the accreditation of certification bodies, standards for organic production, promotion of organic farming and marketing. The NPOP standards for production and accreditation system have been recognised by European Commission and Switzerland for unprocessed plant products as equivalent to their country standards.

With these recognitions, Indian organic products duly certified by the accredited certification bodies of India are accepted by the importing countries. Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is also in the process of negotiation with South Korea, Taiwan, Canada, Japan and others.

Organic Food Market In India

The market for organic food is currently exhibiting strong growth in India. A major factor driving the demand of the organic food is the rising levels of health awareness in the country.

Consumers have started giving attention to the nutrient content and the quality of the food they eat, thereby leading to a rising demand of organic food.

The Indian government is also promoting organic farming by providing financial support to farmers who are adopting organic farming under various government schemes such as Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

According to the market research firm IMARC, the India organic food market is expected to exhibit a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 25.25 per cent during 2022-2027.