Consider the following statements about organic farming in India:

1. PGS (Participatory Guarantee System) certification is valid for organic products produced for domestic markets only.

2. Exports of organic products are certified by the third parties, under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• PGS-India (Participatory Guarantee System of India) is a quality assurance initiative that is locally relevant, emphasizes the participation of stakeholders, including producers and consumers, and operates outside the frame of third party certification.

• Since 2001, the government has been promoting organic farming through third party certification, under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). NPOP is run by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It was originally meant for exports and requires adherence to stringent standards.

• There are 24 accredited certifying agencies that verify farms, storages and processing units. Products certified organic by them carry the India Organic logo. In 2015-16, the latest period for which data is available, there were 1.5 million hectares (1 hectare = 2.47 acres) of cultivable land certified under NPOP. In the same year, India exported a fifth of its certified organic production of 1.35 million tonnes.

• The PGS-India programme, meanwhile, is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare through the National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF). Presently, there are 2.1 lakh farmers under the initiative, owning 1.5 lakh hectares, which is just a tenth of the third-party-certified area. Produce from farms that are being converted to organic, carries the PGS-India Green logo during the transition period and after three years of not using any chemicals, the farm will be eligible for the PGS-India Organic symbol.