An Overview of the AGMARK License

For all agricultural products which are to be sold in a larger mass, specifically to be consumed by humans, providing a Quality Assurance portrays an essential role. In India, the Quality Assurance is known as the AGMARK License, which is a Mark that is certified by the Government of India for all applicable agricultural commodities that ensure both the maintenance of standards and the quality of products to the consumers.

Definition of AGMARK License

Agricultural Mark License, which is also known as AGMARK License, is recognised as a Certification Mark for providing the assurance of the quality of the agricultural products in India. The AGMARK is presented as a Third–Party Guarantee for all Agriculture Based Products that are manufactured in India and are consumed in India.

The utilisation of the AGMARK License was originated in 1934 by the Archibald MacDonald Livingstone, who was the authorised personnel of the Agricultural and Marketing Advisory under the authorisation of the Government of India, who enforced the mandatory issuance of the AGMARK License that is to benefit the local farmers and is to reduce the chances of exploitation by the dealers, buyers, or traders of the agricultural products.

The AGMARK License is governed under the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937 (amended in 1986). The set National Standards of the AGMARK License cover nearly 222 agricultural products, such as cereals, pulses, vegetable oil, and other semi–processed agricultural products.

The AGMARK License is mandated under the regulations of Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011.

Brief of the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection

In India, the agency that establishes the set standards for the agricultural products which are implicated on a State Level is authorised by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, which is also known as the DMI.

For our country, agriculture is the major source of income and has a major impact on the economic status and is among the world’s largest exporters of agricultural produce. Due to this, the AGMARK License is an absolute necessity for providing assurance of authenticity along with the assurance of the quality of the agricultural products. The grading standards are set equal for all in accordance with the World Trade Organisation.  For the issuance of the AGMARK License, the agricultural products are needed to be in maintenance with the set standards of the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, which is also known as the DMI. And in case any infringement is identified, immediate free–of–cost replacement of the graded products is mandated to be implied by the producer.

The Objective of the AGMARK License

The essential objective of the AGMARK License for providing the consumers with good quality agricultural products that are unadulterated through which grading is utilised for both domestic and exportation purposes.

The AGMARK License is incorporated for the following products mentioned below -

• Agricultural and Horticultural Items.
• Food and Beverages which are manufactured, either completely or partly, along with semi–processed agricultural products.

Eligibility Criteria for AGMARK License

The following pointers mentioned below are the Grading and Marking Criteria for a person to be eligible for applying for their respective agricultural commodity for the AGMARK License -

• The applicant needs to have access to the required necessary infrastructure for the processing of the agricultural commodity.
• The applicant must mandatorily have either the approval of the applicable laboratory for the Grading and Marking of the agricultural product or should own their own laboratory that is approved by the authorised personnel.

Only upon meeting the needed criteria mentioned above, the applicant is permitted to apply for the granting of the Certification of Authorisation under the applicable DMI Office.

The Certification of Authorisation is granted upon successfully completing the verification procedure, which may take approximately up to 30 - 40 days.

Documents Required for AGMARK License

The following documents mentioned below are necessarily required for the application filing process for the issuance of the AGMARK License –

• A copy of the Partnership Deed or the Proprietorship Deed, whichever may deem applicable
• A copy of the Memorandum of Article, which is also known as the MoA and the Article of Association, which is also known as AoA
• Layout of the premises that showcase the correct dimensions that are duly signed and approved by the authorised personnel
• The following Declarations mentioned below are to be submitted with a self–attested Stamp Paper that cannot be less than INR 100 -
• Ownership proof of the premises
• Ownership of the Trade Brand Label, which is also known as TBL
• Utilisation of the Trade Brand Label that can be used only on commodities that are graded in accordance with AGMARK
• The “Food Grade” package material utilised for the packaging of AGMARK–Approved products
• A Consent Letter from the owner of the premises, in case the property is rented or leased for production purposes
• A copy of the Trade Brand Lebel for each specific agricultural commodity
• A copy of the Medical Fitness Test Certification that is issued under the authorisation of a Registered Medical Practitioner that certifies the workers employed for the handling of the agricultural product for multiple operations who are not diagnosed with any infectious or contagious diseases
• The list of all the chemicals and instruments utilised in the lab, if the packager establishes a laboratory for the grading of the product being produced
• The Consent Letter the be issued for the Approved Laboratory, if the packager wishes for grading the agricultural commodities under the State Approved Grading Laboratory, Commercial Laboratory, Commercial Association, or Coorportive Laboratory
• A copy of the Foodgrain Storage License for foodgrain–based agricultural products, such as Wheat or Atta, Semolina or Suji, Refined Wheat Flour or Maida, Chickpea Flour or Besan, Rice, Pulses, multiple types of Cereals, etc.
• A copy of the issuance of the License by the Controller under the authorisation of the Drugs Department of the applicable State Government for the purpose of Grading and Marking of the Medically Approved Castor Oil
• A copy of the Registration Certificate for Licensing of the agricultural products to be issued in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Act, 2006

AGMARK License Registration Process

The following steps mentioned below are the filing process for the registration of the AGMARK License -

• The applicant needs to collect the required Form - A to be filled from the applicable Directorate of Marketing and Inspection Office. The From - A is for the granting of the Certificate of Authorisation for the purpose of Grading and Marking of the agricultural products for the local markets.
• The applicant needs to submit all the required documents that is needed to be annexed along with the application form. The applicant also has to submit the applicable registration fee in the demand draft, which can vary due to the multiple independent variable factors in accordance with the prescribed form, and annexures that are to include Grading Charges, Processing Fees, etc.
• When the applicant has secured the grant of the approved laboratory the Consent Letter is to be attested with Form - A - 3.
• Before any initiation of packaging of the agricultural products, the testing of all raw materials and the processed products needs to be conducted by an approved Medically Licensed Chemist.
• For Renewal of the AGMARK License the applicant needs to submit the duly filled Form A - 4 along with the required fee.

Consumer Compliant for Unsatisfactory Product

If the consumer is unsatisfied with the agricultural product that has obtained the AGMARK License, they can file a complaint under the Agricultural Marketing Adviser by embellishing the following -

• The label of the AGMARK
• The Serial Number
• The Lot Number
• The Date of Packaging
• The Date of Expiration
• The Trade Brand
• The details of the Name and Address of the Authorised Packager
• The details of the Name and Address of the Authorised Seller

If the complaint filed is deemed genuine, immediate actions are taken for the packager. The packager is also mandated to provide the aggrieved consumer with the replacement of the product which has to be free of cost.

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